Murder of Maksym Materukhin on the funicular: life sentence for Kosov left unchanged

The Kyiv Court of Appeals upheld the sentence for Artem Kosov, who was previously sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of teenager Maksym Materukhin at a Kyiv funicular station.

Suspilne writes about this.

Kosov requested that the case be reclassified from intentional murder to manslaughter, which carries a penalty of 3-5 years in prison or restriction of liberty.

The court reviewed a video from a telegram from passengers who were in the funicular car that day. It shows Kosov talking obscenely to the deceased Maksym Materukhin and his friends.

"You can hear in the video that I spoke obscenely, I apologize for that. But there are no threats there. And as it says in the verdict, I will beat you, thatʼs not there," Kosov said.

"The teenagers were laughing, but they behaved normally. But Kosovʼs behavior confirms a hooligan motive. You can hear Kosov saying, ʼI can put everyone down in 6 seconds,ʼ" said the lawyer for the family of the deceased, Maksym Materukhin.

Next, they watched the video from the surveillance cameras inside the funicular. It shows the accused and Materukhin getting out of the car. Kosov pushed Maksym Materukhin, and he fell through the glass. Also, when Maksym was covered in blood, Kosov tried to help him.

The murder of Maxim Materukhin

The murder of 16-year-old Maksym Materukhin at the Kyiv funicular station occurred on April 7, 2024. Artem Kosov, an employee of the State Security Department, who, according to the investigation, was drunk and on drugs, was clinging to passengers.

After getting out of the car, Kosov pushed the boy. Maksym broke the glass in the station window with his head — a fragment cut his carotid artery, the boy died on the spot.

During interrogation, Kosov constantly confused, changed his statements, and refused to answer questions. However, witnesses confirmed that his actions were deliberate.

On September 22, a court sentenced a man accused of murdering a teenager to life in prison. The deceased boyʼs parents consider this a "fair sentence".

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.