‘Killed for being Ukrainian’. Ukrainian youth basketball star stabbed to death in Germany
Volodymyr Ermakov, a 17-year-old member of the Ukrainian national basketball team, was fatally stabbed in Germany, the Kyiv Basketball Federation reported on Feb. 11 on Facebook.
The attack, which also left his friend Artem Kozachenko severely injured, was allegedly motivated by their Ukrainian nationality.
Yermakov and Kozachenko, who played for the ART Giants Düsseldorf U19 team, were assaulted with knives on the street right before a scheduled match, targeted simply for being Ukrainians. "The whole team spent the night in the hospital next to our boys,” shared Kyiv Basketball Federation. “Unfortunately, doctors could not save Yerrmakov, with Kozachenko now in intensive care. The local police are investigating, and there were witnesses to the crime.”
Details surrounding the attack and evidence supporting the claim that the assault was purely based on nationality have not been provided by the Federation.
Yermakov had represented Ukraine at the U-16 European Championships in Bulgaria in 2022, showcasing his talent on an international stage. The Ukrainian basketball community mourns the loss of a young talent tragically killed abroad.
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