A satellite image shows the expansion of new graves in the cemetery in Vinogradne, near Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 29. (Maxar Technologies / Reuters)
A third mass grave has been discovered near Mariupol, the mayor of the besieged southeastern city told Ukrainian television on Tuesday.
In addition to the mass graves found in the villages of Mangush and Vinogradne, “now we see that there is another one,” Vadim Boychenko said.
New satellite images show a mass grave in the village of Old Crimea, the city authorities’ Telegram channel reported.
The photos show excavated trenches on the territory of the Old Crimean Cemetery, the city council announced in Telegram.
They appeared on March 24th after the village was occupied by the Russians, and were about 60 to 70 meters long, the council said.
By April 7, according to new images, some of the trenches had been covered, the council said, and the burial area had grown.
“New trenches were registered on April 24. The length of the mass grave has increased to more than 200 meters, “the statement said.
Boychenko accused Russian forces of involving locals in mass funerals in exchange for food.
“They [the locals] he told us that you have to work “hours” to have food and water. “There is not enough humanitarian aid in Mariupol now, so people are forced to do it,” he told the Telegram.
CNN could not confirm the city’s account of the mass graves. The images from Planet Labs were first released by Radio Free Europe (RFE / RL) on Monday.
CNN has reviewed satellite imagery that allegedly shows mass graves in Vinogradne, but it is unclear what may have happened there other than ground disturbances.
Last week, Ukrainian authorities identified the location of mass graves in Manchush near Mariupol following the publication of satellite images collected and analyzed by Maxar Technologies.
Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, wrote in the Telegram about the mass grave in Manhash on Thursday.
“As a result of a long search and identification of places for mass burial of dead Mariupol residents, we have established the fact of arranging and mass burial of dead Mariupol residents in the village of Manhush,” he wrote.
Andryushchenko – who is not in Mariupol but has served as an information clearing house inside the besieged city – said Russian forces have dug several mass graves, each measuring about 30 meters (about 100 feet), in Manchush, a city about 12 miles (20 kilometers) west of Mariupol.
On Tuesday, Boychenko reiterated that about 20,000 Mariupol residents have died since the invasion.
“The situation in Mariupol remains extremely difficult,” he said. “Enemy artillery shells our fortress Azovstal”, the steel plant where Ukrainian troops and civilians are hiding.
“There are women and children inside. A ceasefire is needed to start the evacuation. Unfortunately, there is no ceasefire,” Boychenko said. “People are left without food, there is almost no drinking water. This is a humanitarian catastrophe.”
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