Ukrainian police identify Russian commander involved in murder of Bucha civilian recognized by red manicure

Police in Ukraine have identified a Russian commander involved in the murder of 52-year-old Bucha resident Iryna Filkina, according to the Bucha City Council.

Filkina was killed in Bucha during Russia’s occupation in the spring of 2022. She was later identified by her manicure after a photograph of her hand with bright red nail polish was published by Reuters.

According to Ukraine’s National Police, the person identified as having been involved in the murder is 29-year-old Artem Taraev, the commander of the 234th Air Assault Regiment of the Russian Army’s 76th Guards Airborne Division.

Ukrainian investigators allege that on March 5, 2022, Taraev ordered his troops to shoot all civilians in the vicinity of the intersection of Yablunska and Vodoprovidna streets in Bucha. That same day, at around 11:15 a.m., Russian soldiers shot Iryna Filkina as she was riding her bicycle. In total, according to the investigators, Taraev’s orders led to the deaths of 13 civilians on Yablunska Street.