18-year-old Ukrainian basketball player Artem Kozachenko died in a hospital in Germany after being admitted to intensive care following an attack on Ukrainian basketball players in Düsseldorf on 10 February, the ART Giants club he played for reported.
Volodymyr Yermakov and his teammate Artem Kozachenko played for the ART Giants (U-19) youth team from Dusseldorf. On the eve of their next match, the young basketball players were attacked with knives in the street.
A 17-year-old member of Ukraine’s youth national basketball team, Volodymyr Yermakov, was killed in an attack in Düsseldorf, Germany on 10 February, the Kyiv Basketball Federation (FBK) reported on 11 February. At that time, Kozachenko reportedly remained in intensive care.
However, the ART Giants reported on February 20th that Kozachenko’s condition deteriorated rapidly over the last few days, and the doctors were unable to save the athlete.
“Artem was an integral part of our team. We are deeply shocked and mournful as we say goodbye to yet another great basketball talent from our ranks,” the ART Giants wrote in a statement.
On 12 February, German police detained the suspected murderer, a 15-year-old Turkish German from Gelsenkirchen and a 14-year-old Greek German from Herne, who had already appeared in criminal cases. Prosecutors have charged the 15-year-old suspect with unintentional homicide and grievous bodily harm.
Later, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said that the Consulate General in Düsseldorf had already held talks with the head of the Essen police. He said the consuls emphasized the need for an investigation and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
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