The Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv found suspected former employee of the State Security Department Artem Kosov guilty of the murder of 15-year-old Maksym Materukhin on a Kyiv funicular. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
This was reported by a correspondent for Suspilne from the courtroom.
The murder of a teenager at the Kyiv funicular station occurred on April 7, 2024. State Security Department employee Artem Kosov, who, according to the investigation, was drunk and on drugs, was clinging to passengers, among whom was 16-year-old Maksym Materukhin.
After getting out of the train, 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.
lryna Vlasiuk / «Бабель»
On September 17, in his final statement, Kosov admitted his guilt and repented. However, he claimed that he had no intention of killing the boy. The defense insisted on the murder being a result of negligence.
The prosecution alleged premeditated murder. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who took control of the case, wrote on September 15 that witnesses confirmed that Kosovʼs actions were premeditated.
The intentionality of the actions of the accused Artem Kosov is also confirmed by the conclusions of a comprehensive forensic, medical-criminalistic and traceological examination.
The experts established that Maksymʼs injuries were caused by the accusedʼs purposeful actions. The Prosecutor General says that Kosovʼs version of an accidental fall is excluded.
The parents of the deceased boy consider life imprisonment a "fair sentence".
"We have been waiting for this day for a long time. These are incredible emotions that cannot be expressed in words. This is gratitude to the people who supported us, who walked with us to this victorious end. Justice has come. And everyone heard — this is a life imprisonment. For the murder of our son, he got what he deserves," said Maksymʼs mother Iryna Materukhina.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.