Satellite images show extent of destruction on the ground in Ukraine

It’s now been 20 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started and satellite images taken on Monday show the extent of the devastation on the ground.

Images from Maxar Technologies show fires, downed bridges, and devastation in Mariupol and locations outside Kyiv.

In the village of Moschun, 25 miles northwest of Kyiv, the images show razed houses, scorched land, and several fires still burning.

Burning homes and buildings, Moschun / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

In Mariupol in the southeast of the country, residents told CNN the city is like “hell” and is “unbearable” after being bombarded for a fortnight by Russian forces.

Satellite footage shows damage to Mariupol's Regional Intensive Care Hospital as well as to a number of apartments.

Damaged hospital and nearby apartment buildings, Zhovteneyvi district / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Fires burning in a residential area of Mariupol / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Overview of building damage and fires burning near Primorskyi District, western Mariupol / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

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Approximately a mile away from the hospital in the neighbourhood of Primorskyi, damaged homes are seen smouldering.

It’s been reported that up to 20,000 people may have been killed during the siege of Mariupol, according to the mayor’s adviser. It had previously been claimed that 2,500 civilians had died.

Speaking to the Ukraine Pravda website, Petro Andryushchenko said: “Four days ago, we talked about an ‘optimistic’ scenario - about 10,000 victims.

"But with the increased intensity and the brutality that has increased many times over, we can say that if the blockade ends now and we can start at least searching for these people, the number of victims is already approaching 20,000.”

He added: “Some are being buried, some are in the yards, on the streets. Due to the intensity of the shelling, people cannot even go outside to bury their loved ones.”

Maxar has also shared images of Snake Island before and after it was captured by Russian forces.

Snake Island, or Zmiinyi Island, is a Black Sea island off the southeastern shoreline of Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, 13 Ukrainian troops told Russians to “go f*** yourself” as they defended the strategic island.

They were initially believed to have lost their lives, but the Ukrainian navy has since claimed they are alive and their loved ones remain hopeful.

Snake Island before the invasion / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Snake Island: On yesterday’s image, a Russian Ropucha-class ship is anchored near the island and a number of the buildings on the island have been damaged / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

In other news today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his frustration over Nato’s refusal to implement a no-fly zone as Kyiv continues to come under fire.

Kyiv has imposed a 35-hour curfew after several apartment blocks were struck by Russian forces. Five people were killed in the latest bloodshed.

In a video call to Boris Johnson and representatives from Baltic and northern European countries gathered in London, Zelensky said some Nato members had been “hypnotised by Russian aggression”.

He said Putin’s invasion had undermined the European security infrastructure by invading a sovereign country.

“We hear a lot of conversations about the third world war, that allegedly it could start if Nato will close the Ukrainian sky for Russian missiles and planes and, therefore, the humanitarian no-fly zone was not yet established,” he said.

“That allows the Russian army to bombard peaceful cities and blow up housing blocks and hospitals and schools.

“Four multi-storey buildings in Kyiv in the early morning were bombarded, dozens of dead.”

Zelensky expressed his frustration that Ukraine had not been allowed to join Nato, something which could have protected it from invasion because of the alliance’s mutual defence policy.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged to continue to hit hard those close to Putin for their “complicity in Russia’s crimes in Ukraine” as she announced a fresh round of sanctions aimed at those linked to the Kremlin.

More than 300 new listings have been made under the UK’s sanctions regimes, targeting those well-connected with Russia’s leader. An update to the Gov.uk website on Tuesday said that 350 new listings had been made under the Russia sanctions regime.

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