Increasing Graves in Russian-Occupied Mariupol... Estimated 5% of Total Population Dead

More than 4,600 Graves Created Since Russian Invasion
Pre-War Mariupol Population 500,000... Severe Damage from Indiscriminate Bombing

More than 1,500 graves were recently discovered near Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo by EPA, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] More than 1,500 new graves have recently been discovered near the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, according to reports by the British BBC and others.

On the 7th (local time), BBC analyzed satellite images taken by the American commercial satellite company Maxar and concluded that a large burial site near Mariupol has been steadily expanding since May. Mariupol, currently occupied by Russian forces, was one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the Ukraine war.

The UK-based nonprofit organization Center for Information Resilience (CIR), which analyzed the satellite images, estimated that more than 4,600 graves have been created in the area since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February.

They analyzed that 3,100 graves were created from the outbreak of the war until the end of June, and 1,500 new graves were discovered from the end of June to October 12. The increase in the number of graves is presumed to be due to the continuous discovery of bodies buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Mariupol.

A resident of Mariupol told BBC in an interview, "In recent months, I have seen Russian authorities retrieving bodies from the rubble of buildings in the city and transporting them."

Mariupol suffered severe damage from indiscriminate bombings by Russian forces from the first week of the war, with many high-rise buildings collapsing. A theater building in the city, where thousands of residents had taken refuge, was also hit by a missile attack, killing more than 600 people.

The city was occupied by Russia after the Azovstal steel plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces, fell to Russian troops in May. The Ukrainian side stated that at least 25,000 people died in the battles in Mariupol since the outbreak of the war, and an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people were killed under the rubble of bombed buildings. Before the war, Mariupol had a population of about 500,000. More than 5% of the entire citizenry died due to the war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.