Russians force Ukrainians to dig mass graves in search of food: Mariupol mayor

The mayor said a mass grave containing thousands of bodies had been discovered – dug by Ukrainians in exchange for food and water – near the besieged city of Mariupol.

Mayor Vadim Boychenko said on Tuesday that the huge trench, which stretches more than 600 feet, can be seen through satellite images.

We know about these mass graves because they [Russian] Fascists – and I have no other words – engage the locals to bury them,” Boychenko told Radio Svoboda. They told us you have to work hours [for] Food and water. …people are compelled to do this.”

The apparent mass grave is located in the ancient Crimean cemetery south of the city of Stari Krem on the outskirts of Mariupol.

Possible mass graves have also been detected Satellite images of the suburbs of Mariupol-Mangos and Vinohradnyeach eerily resembling burial sites Found outside Kyiv advance this month.

Graves of local residents who died during the fighting with Russia are seen on a street behind private homes in an area claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. — A mass grave containing thousands of bodies has been discovered near the besieged city of Mariupol.

A soldier of the pro-Russian forces stands in front of the destroyed administration building of the Iron and Steel Works in Azovstal during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. — Mayor Vadim Boychenko said the Ukrainians had dug graves for Russian troops in exchange for food and water.

The huge trench extends over 600 feet and can be seen on satellite images.

Mariupol authorities estimate that about 20,000 civilians have been killed in the two months since the city was bombed and besieged by Russian invaders.

On Tuesday, Russian forces continued to bombard the steel plant in Azovstal, where about 2,000 of the city’s last remaining defenders and 1,000 civilians took refuge.

“Russia has significantly intensified its strikes in the past 24 hours and is using heavy fortification bombs,” said Petro Andryushenko, Boychenko’s advisor. “The number of wounded will be clear once the rubble is removed.”

A local resident walks along a street in front of burnt-out buses during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol. — The apparent mass grave is located in the ancient Crimean cemetery south of the city of Stari Krem on the outskirts of Mariupol.

Bodies are placed in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9. — Possible mass graves were also spotted in satellite images of the suburbs of Mariupol Mangos and Vinohradny.

A view of a torn Ukrainian flag hangs on a wire in front of an apartment building destroyed during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol. — Mariupol authorities estimate that about 20,000 civilians were killed in two months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to the participation of the United Nations and the Red Cross in evacuating civilians from Azovstal on Tuesday during a meeting in Moscow with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The Russian leader also claimed that civilians were being held in the factory against their will by Ukrainian forces using them as human shields.

with wire