On Monday, February 9, the Kyiv Court of Appeal began considering the appeal against the sentence of Artem Kosov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of teenager Maksym Materukhin at the capital's funicular station.
A correspondent for Suspilny reports this from the courtroom.
A woman holds a photo of the deceased Maksym Materukhin at a session of the Court of Appeal, during which the appeal against the sentence of Artem Kosov is being considered. Kyiv, February 9, 2026. Social News/Lila Honcharuk
Kosov is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the first-instance sentence of life imprisonment and impose a new one — within the framework of Article 119 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It defines liability for manslaughter through negligence and provides for a penalty of restriction or imprisonment for a term of 3 to 5 years.
At the beginning of the hearing, Kosov requested that the appeal be heard in camera. He explained this by saying that, in his opinion, the media representatives present in the courtroom were influencing the court.
Free listeners with portraits of Maksym Materukhin at a session of the Court of Appeal, during which the appeal against the sentence of Artem Kosov is being considered. Social News/Lila Honcharuk
“All the people present are publishing information in a one-sided manner and violating my rights. Public opinion is being formed in advance, which violates my constitutional rights. Also, people are putting pressure on me and the judges,” Kosov said.
The court decided that the petition was unfounded and did not grant it.
A session of the Court of Appeal, during which they are considering an appeal against the sentence of Artem Kosov, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of teenager Maksym Materukhin at the funicular station. Kyiv, February 9, 2026. Social News/Lilia Honcharuk
During his speech, Artem Kosov apologized to the family of the deceased and emphasized that he had no intention of killing the boy.
“Once again, I want to apologize to the family of the deceased. I didn't want this. I couldn't have predicted that the glass would break and there would be a fatal outcome, I didn't calculate the trajectory. I don't understand why the court decided that a domestic conflict was intentional to kill,” the accused said.
He also expressed indignation at why Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko joined the group of prosecutors and began representing the prosecution in court.
“This is not a political matter for the Prosecutor General to deal with. There are more important matters in society for the Prosecutor General to deal with,” Artem Kosov noted.
Sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Maksym Materukhin at the fugicooler station, Artem Kosov, during a session of the Court of Appeal. Kyiv, February 9, 2026. Social News/Lilia Honcharuk
As Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko wrote on Telegram after the court hearing, the verdict of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court is legal and fully justified.
“The defendant again provides contradictory testimony: on the police body camera video, he directly said that he “decided to do a hip-throw.” Today in court we heard another version about an “accidental fall,” and later another: allegedly Maksym was “accidentally pushed by someone else,” the Prosecutor General's post says.
Free listeners with portraits of Maksym Materukhin at a session of the Court of Appeal, during which the appeal against the sentence of Vadym Kosov is being considered. Kyiv, February 9, 2026. Social News/Lila Honcharuk
“Today was a game in front of the new court, to show that he is so good in front of the new court. But the court of first instance proved everything, he should be sentenced to life imprisonment. There should be no other article, life imprisonment for the murder of my child,” said the father of the murdered teenager, Oleksandr Materukhin, after the court hearing.
The next hearing to consider the appeal against Kosov's verdict will be held on March 11.
What is known about the death of a teenager at the funicular station in Kyiv
On April 7, 2024, a young man died at a funicular station. According to eyewitnesses, after exiting the car at the upper station, a man pushed the teenager. He fell, smashed the glass with his head, received a fatal cut to his neck, and bled to death a few minutes before the ambulance arrived.
The deceased was Maksym Materukhin, who was a student in grade 10-A at the capital's school No. 36. Seven teenagers who witnessed the tragic incident gave testimony.
The State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal case because the participant in the conflict with the teenager served as a driver in the State Security Department. The man was later charged with premeditated murder.
The SBI also denied information that the suspect was their former employee. At the time of the tragedy, he was not on duty and was in a state of alcohol intoxication.
On May 5, 2024, the SBI officers completed the pre-trial investigation into the death of a 16-year-old schoolboy at a funicular station in Kyiv, after which the case materials were handed over to the defense for review. On May 29, the indictment against the employee of the State Security Department Artem Kosov was submitted to the court. During the investigation, the SBI investigators established that the murder of the minor was committed for hooligan motives, for which he faces life imprisonment. The suspect did not admit his guilt.
During the hearing of the case in the Shevchenkivskyi District Court, witnesses were questioned and video footage was examined.
In September 2025, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv found former State Security Department employee Artem Kosov guilty of murdering teenager Maksym Materukhin at a funicular station. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In October 2025, Artem Kosov, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a teenager on a Kyiv funicular, appealed his sentence.