(Yevgen Maksimov. PHOTO: most.ks.ua)
The Security Service of Ukraine has announced that it has charged Yevgeny Maksimov, the former CEO of the state-owned enterprise “Kinovideoprokat,” who headed the occupied “Yubileiny” concert hall in Kherson during the full-scale war. He faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
This information is posted on the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Yevhen Maksimov is charged with collaboration, as well as the production and dissemination of materials justifying Russian aggression and the occupation of Ukrainian territories through the media.
Investigators believe that no later than May 15, 2023, Maksimov voluntarily agreed to cooperate with the occupying authorities. At that time, he illegally assumed the position of the so-called acting director of the Kherson Regional “Yuvileiny” Cinema and Concert Hall. No later than September 30, 2024, he became the director of this “institution.”
In that position, Maksimov helped ensure the operation of movie theaters in the occupied territory of the Kherson region. He organized film screenings and produced video content for the occupying forces’ media outlets. In particular, he stated that the opening of four movie theaters in the Kherson region was linked to the so-called “reunification with Russia.” Maksimov also announced plans to convert five more cultural centers for the screening of “patriotic films.”
The suspect was born in Russia and is a citizen of Ukraine. Prior to the occupation, he worked in Kherson’s film distribution system for over 30 years. Specifically, he served as head of the technical department at the “Kinovideoprokat” production association and later as chief engineer.
From April 1997 to June 2021, Maksimov served as general director of the “Kinovideoprokat” municipal enterprise under the Kherson Regional Council. Upon the expiration of his contract, he was dismissed from this position. Yevgen Maksimov currently lives in Henichesk, which is occupied by Russia.
Юлія Калабайда