Germany has a satellite image indicating Russian involvement in the Bucha killings – a security source

Ukrainian soldiers walk past destroyed Russian tanks and armored vehicles, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government has indications of Russia’s involvement in the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, based on satellite imagery, a security source said on Thursday.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the intelligence agency intercepted radio messages from Russian military sources discussing the killing of civilians in Bucha.

“It is true that the federal government has indications that a Russian was committed in Bucha,” the source said. “However, these results on the Bucha website refer to satellite imagery. The radio transmissions cannot be clearly assigned to Bucha.”

The source did not go into details. He said there was no indication of an order from the Russian Armed Forces General Staff regarding Bucha.

Russian forces occupied the city of Bucha, 37 km northwest of Kyiv, for more than a month after they invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Local officials say Russian forces killed more than 300 people in Bosha alone, and about 50 were executed. Moscow denies the accusations.

Spiegel said the German intelligence office intercepted the radio messages and presented the findings in parliament on Wednesday, without giving a source for the information.

Spiegel also said there are additional audio recordings whose physical origin is difficult to determine, which she said indicate similar events have occurred in other Ukrainian cities.

The German Federal Intelligence Service’s foreign intelligence office declined to comment on the matter.

A German government spokesman declined to comment on the Spiegel report.

Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide and war crimes. The Kremlin said Tuesday that Western allegations that Russian forces executed civilians in Bucha are “heinous fraud” aimed at discrediting the Russian military and justifying new Western sanctions.

Russia regards evidence of civilian executions as a cynical ploy by Ukraine and its Western backers, who Moscow says are trapped by discriminatory anti-Russian paranoia.

(Covering) Written by Andreas Renck, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Nick McPhee

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