Ukrainian basketball player, 17, dies and another is seriously injured after being stabbed by youths in Germany 'because they came from Ukraine'
- Volodymyr Yermakov and his teammate were stabbed to death in Düsseldorf
- The Kyiv Basketball Federation said they were attacked because they were Ukrainian
- Two teenagers were arrested in connection with the attack, but one was released
A 17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player was fatally stabbed after an altercation at a bus stop in Germany, police said on Monday, in a case that has sparked outrage in Kiev.
Volodymyr Yermakov, who played at youth level for the Ukrainian national team and Germany's ART Giants Duesseldorf, died in hospital on Saturday evening after the incident in the western city of Oberhausen.
Yermakov and a Ukrainian teammate had a “verbal” dispute with the two other teenagers on a bus in the city center, local police said, adding that investigations into the background of the altercation were ongoing.
When the two groups got off the bus, the clash escalated and the teens got into a “physical confrontation,” police said.
According to police, initial investigations indicate that knives were pulled.
The “young basketball players were attacked with knives in the street simply because they are Ukrainians,” the Kyiv Basketball Federation said.
Volodymyr Yermakov (pictured), who played at youth level for the Ukrainian national team and Germany's ART Giants Duesseldorf, died in hospital
Yermakov and his teammate were attacked in the center of Oberhausen (File image)
Yermakov and his 18-year-old compatriot were injured in the ensuing battle, as were a 14-year-old Syrian boy and a 13-year-old Lebanese-German girl.
The two Ukrainians suffered “life-threatening injuries,” police said.
All four victims were taken to hospital, where Yermakov “died shortly afterwards during emergency surgery.”
A 15-year-old Turkish-German dual national was arrested and charged with manslaughter, police said.
A 14-year-old Greek-German boy was also temporarily detained for his involvement, before being released after police's initial suspicions could not be substantiated.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called on Monday for an investigation into the incident “to be conducted as quickly as possible and to bring the criminal to justice.”
Yermakov's murder was “incomprehensible,” his German basketball club wrote in a post on Facebook.
“Events happen that sometimes simply cannot be understood or put into words… We mourn and say goodbye to our young player Volodymyr Yermakov, who was the victim of an act of violence and died on Saturday evening,” the message said.
The team said Yermakov “was an integral part of our NBBL team in the U19 Bundesliga, was nominated for the U18 national team and even trained with our professionals from time to time.”
The young athlete had fled the war caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and moved to Dusseldorf in 2023, the team added.
“To escape the war in his native country, he moved to Düsseldorf in July 2023, where he found his new home,” the statement said.
'Volodymyr was very popular with coaches, teammates and friends. What remains in the memory is a young man whose everyday life was characterized by pure zest for life and sporting ambition.'