The evidence, unlike Putin, does not lie

Harrowing Bucha satellite images should ensure a judgment day will come for the Russian regime

On the face of it, they are just another painfully grim reminder of the barbarism of Putin’s war.

But the satellite imagery showing bodies lying in the open for weeks in the Ukrainian city of Bucha are much more than that. They are evidence.

Evidence which conclusively exposes the latest Kremlin lies; evidence which should point to the dock in The Hague.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, insisted at a news conference that during the time that Bucha was under Russian control “not a single local person has suffered from any violent action”.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that footage of bodies had been staged after the Russians withdrew. All lies, exposed in high-definition.

And the lies will keep coming from Russia, Putin may even continue to tell his own people it is not an invasion, but these can be countered at every turn with the indisputable facts.

It is for those in the free, democratic world to assist the International Criminal Court in collecting these facts, calmly and methodically, for future use.

What happened in Bucha was a war crime, and it will sadly not be the last before this conflict ends.

As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council yesterday, such crimes have been repeated throughout his country.

“Russian troops are deliberately destroying Ukrainian cities to ashes with artillery and air strikes, they are deliberately blocking cities, creating mass starvation,” he said.

“They deliberately shoot columns of civilians on the road trying to escape from the hostilities.

“They even deliberately blow up shelters where civilians hide from air strikes."

Why do we take the Ukrainian president’s word? Because of the damning evidence.

In 2022, technology ensures it is impossible to commit such atrocities in secret. The images are presented for the world to see.

Yes, they are a horrific reminder of the mindless slaughter in Ukraine. They should also ensure that a judgment day will come for those who have committed such appalling crimes.

You cannot hide from a satellite.