Where is that Building?

The New York Times’ Visual Investigation team released a comparison of a video recently filmed by a local councilman showing bodies scattered along Yablonska Street, Bucha, of what looks like civilians and corresponding but older satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies, to argue that those bodies have laid there since at least mid-March.

This would contradict official Russian claims that no civilian had been harmed during the Russian occupation, which ended in March 31.

The photo below shows the whole area studied. It comes from France24. I must highlight that that image is not supposed to show the location of the bodies.

To that photo, I added where the video starts (red oval, near the lower border of the photo) and the general direction the councilman travelled on Yablonska Street (red arrow pointing upwards).

Yablonska intersects four other streets alternating right and left: from the bottom upwards, the first, to the right; the second, to the left and so on.

This still (captured 15 seconds into the video), taken directly from the 1:07 minute NYTimes video, serves to illustrate how the Visual Investigation team’s comparison works.

Right-click and open in a separate tab for a larger image.

On the left, the view of the road as seen from inside the vehicle in early April. Three bodies appear enclosed in rectangles. On the right, the earlier satellite image. The general disposition of the bodies (left) seem to match what the satellite image shows (right). Because the earlier satellite image describes the situation recorded by the councilman, those bodies must have been there before the Russians evacuated the town.

Moreover, one can see that the right-most body, for example, is near the first intersection of Yablonska with another road. This matches what the satellite image shows. Likewise, the left-most body is laying near what looks like an empty block of land, exactly as in the satellite photo.

If you pay attention, there is a red sign further down the road (left sidewalk).

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This is another still, taken fifteen seconds later into the video:

Right-click and open in a separate tab for a larger image.

I added a red arrow pointing to where the sign is. As the vehicle with the councilman inside approaches the second intersection, the red sign is more clearly visible, yes?

Focus on the driver’s view of the street (left side of the screen). The red sign is on the farther sidewalk, in front of a building with a yellowish facade and what looks like red columns.

Now, look to the right side of the screen. The sign isn’t visible, but that’s understandable: it’s too small a detail. Still I added the sign’s approximate location.

But, where’s the building with the yellowish facade and the apparent red columns? Shouldn’t at least its roof appear? What the satellite image shows instead is what looks like another empty block of land.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that building was built during the few weeks the Russians occupied Bucha.

Anyway, I’m sure there may be a very good, innocent explanation for that anomaly. But I don’t know what that explanation is and I think both we deserve it and the NYTimes owes us that explanation. This is a serious matter.

Incidentally, this third photo, taken directly from the NYTimes article, shows the same portion of Yablonska Street. If am not mistaken, in this photo the second intersection should be near the right end. Again, no building.