17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player killed in Germany just for being Ukrainian

Vladimir Ermakov, a 17-year-old Ukrainian basketball player, was stabbed to death on the street in Germany. His friend Artem Kozachenko also received stab wounds in the attack. He remains in intensive care, the Kyiv Basketball Federation said on Monday, February 12.

The attack occurred a few days ago in Dusseldorf, Germany. Vladimir Ermakov and Artem Kozachenko arrived in the city to play for ART Giants (U-19) from Dusseldorf.

"On the even of a match, they were attacked on the street simply because they were Ukrainians. The whole team spent the night in the hospital next to our guys. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save Ermakov, and Kozachenko remains in intensive care," the Kyiv Basketball Federation said.

The deceased, Vladimir Ermakov, played basketball as part of youth teams. As a member of the Ukrainian youth team (U-16), he competed at the 2022 European Championships in Bulgaria.