A 17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player, who took refuge in Germany due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, died on Monday from his injuries after being stabbed during an altercation on Saturday in Oberhausen.
Volodymyr Yermakov, who had played in the youth categories of the national team, had been playing with the U19s of the ART Giants Düsseldorf club since his arrival in the German city in July 2023 due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
This Saturday, he was on a bus with a young compatriot when a verbal altercation broke out between them and young people.
At the bus stop, “the argument degenerated into a physical confrontation” and four young people were “seriously injured by stab wounds”, according to a press release from the Essen district police.
In addition to the two Ukrainians, there was a 14-year-old Syrian and a 13-year-old Lebanese German girl, police said.
ART Giants play NBBL player Volodymyr Yermakov!
🕊️🙏🏼Es gehenhen Ereignisse, die manchmal einfach nicht zu...
Published by ART Giants Düsseldorf on Monday February 12, 2024
A 15-year-old boy suspected of having participated in the attack was arrested at his home in the hours that followed and placed in pre-trial detention for manslaughter as well as assault and battery.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called on Monday for an investigation into the incident "to be carried out as soon as possible and for the criminal to be brought to justice."
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“Attacked with knives in the street for the simple reason that they were Ukrainians”
“The young basketball players were attacked with knives in the street for the simple reason that they were Ukrainians,” said the Ukrainian federation.
The ART Giants Düsseldorf club expressed its incomprehension on social networks on its Facebook account.
“Events sometimes happen beyond comprehension or words... We cry and say goodbye to our young player Volodymyr Yermakov, victim of a violent act on Saturday evening and died.
Volodymyr was very popular with coaches, teammates and friends.
We will remember a young person whose daily life was shaped by a pure joie de vivre and sporting ambition, wrote the Ruhr club.
His teammate Artem Kozachenko, who fortunately survived the attack, is currently still in hospital.
We wish him a quick recovery.
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