The Ukrainian police on Dec. 29 named the Russian commander who is suspected to be responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the Ukrainian woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha in 2022.
The photo of Filkina's hand with brightly painted fingernails went viral around the world, becoming one of the most well-known symbols of the massacre that Russian forces carried out against Ukrainian civilians in the Kyiv Oblast town in the early stages of the full-scale war.
Russian officer Artyom Tarieiev, commander of the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 76th Division of the Russian Airborne Forces, gave orders on March 5, 2022, to kill all civilians who appeared at an intersection during the occupation of Bucha, according to a statement by the Bucha City Council.
On the same day, Filkina was shot by more than 15 Russian bullets while riding a bicycle. Filkina was an employee of the Ukrainian hypermarket chain Epicenter.
According to the National Police's investigation, 13 civilians were killed on the same street as a result of Tarieiev's order.
"Identifying the suspect is an important step in the investigation of war crimes on the territory of Ukraine," said the Bucha City Council statement. "All those involved in the killings of civilians must be brought to justice internationally."
After Bucha was liberated in March 2022, authorities uncovered mass graves of civilians who were killed during its occupation.
In March 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office said that more than 1,400 civilians were killed in Bucha District, including 637 in the city of Bucha, many of whom had gunshot wounds. The district figure included 37 children who were murdered by Russian forces.
The Kyiv Independent
