Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register BERLIN, April 7 (Reuters) – The German government has indications that Russia was involved in the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bukha by satellite images, a security source said on Thursday. The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the intelligence service had intercepted radio messages from Russian military sources discussing the killing of civilians in Bucha. “It is true that the federal government has evidence of Russian crime in Bucha,” the source said. “However, these findings in Bucha refer to satellite imagery. Broadcasts can not be clearly assigned to Bucha.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The source did not provide further details. He said there was no indication of an order from the Russian Armed Forces General Staff regarding Boutsas. Bucha, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kiev, was occupied by Russian troops for more than a month after their invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Local officials say more than 300 people have been killed by Russian forces in Bucha alone and about 50 have been executed. Moscow denies the allegations. Spiegel said the German intelligence service had intercepted the radio messages and presented the findings to parliament on Wednesday, without giving a source for the information. Spiegel also said that there were additional recordings whose natural origin was more difficult to trace, which he said had similar events in other Ukrainian cities. The BND’s foreign intelligence service declined to comment. A German government spokesman declined to comment on Spiegel. Ukraine has accused Russia of genocide and war crimes. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Western allegations that Russian forces had executed civilians in Bukhara were a “monstrous forgery” aimed at discrediting the Russian military and justifying new Western sanctions. Russia views the executions of civilians as a cynical ploy by Ukraine and its Western backers, who Moscow says have been plagued by discriminatory anti-Russian paranoia. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Andreas Rinke, Written by Miranda Murray, Edited by Nick Macfie Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
