Prosecutor General’s Office insists on life imprisonment for accused in murder of teenager on cable car
17 September 2025 19:06
The court debate in the case of the murder of 16-year-old Maksym Materukhin, who died on a Kyiv funicular, has ended. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko writes about this, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The defendant made the last statement, expressing remorse. However, prosecutors consider this an attempt to avoid responsibility.
Prosecution’s position
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said that the testimony provided, the results of examinations and other evidence prove that the teenager’s death was not an accident, but the result of intentional actions.
“We insist on a life sentence. Justice for the child who lost his life can only be found in the most severe sentence,” Kravchenko emphasized.
According to him, the process was difficult and lengthy: the family had been waiting for more than a year for the case to move forward.
What’s next
The court retired to the deliberation room to pass the verdict. The decision is expected in the near future.
Why it is important
- The case has a wide public outcry: the death of a minor at one of the most famous facilities in Kyiv caused a wave of outrage.
- The verdict may become an illustrative example of the inevitability of punishment for crimes against children.
- For the family of the victim and for society, the issue of justice is particularly acute.
As a reminder, the tragedy occurred in 2023: teenager Maksym Materukhin was killed during a conflict on a funicular in Kyiv.
The case was slowed down for a long time, which caused outrage among the family and the public.
In Ukraine, courts rarely hand down life sentences, so this case could become a precedent.
