Second Ukrainian Basketball Player Artem Kozachenko, Victim of Attack in Germany, Dies in Hospital

In Germany, 18-year-old Ukrainian basketball player Artem Kozachenko has passed away while in intensive care following an armed attack that occurred on February 10th. This was reported by the "Giants" club, for which Kozachenko played in their youth team.

Artem Kozachenko and his friend, 17-year-old Volodymyr Yermakov, were attacked in the city of Oberhausen as they were returning from Dusseldorf. The assailants inflicted numerous stab wounds on the victims, resulting in Volodymyr Yermakov's death in the hospital on the same day, while Artem Kozachenko was admitted to intensive care, where doctors fought for his life over the course of 10 days. He remained in critical condition, which deteriorated significantly in the last few days, leading to the doctors being unable to save him.

"Like Volodymyr, 18-year-old Ukrainian Artem was an integral part of our team in the Bundesliga U19. We are deeply shocked, mourn, and bid farewell to another great basketball talent from our ranks. Like Volodymyr, Artem was extremely popular among his teammates, coaches, and friends, and everyone could only say positive things about him. In addition to his great talent and dedication to basketball, Artem was known as a cheerful, humorous, and open person. Artem and Volodymyr shared a deep and close friendship, which showed how important human connections and unity are in our lives," the team said in a statement.

It is worth noting that the Essen police arrested two teenagers the day after the attack, suspected of assaulting the Ukrainian basketball players. They turned out to be a 15-year-old German of Turkish descent from Gelsenkirchen and a 14-year-old German of Greek descent from Herne, both of whom had previously been in police records.

The police then stated that after questioning a large number of witnesses and analysing evidence and video recordings, more signs are emerging that other individuals may have been involved in the crime.

Later, three more teenagers were arrested on suspicion of murdering the Ukrainian basketball player, including the aforementioned 14-year-old German of Greek descent from Herne, as well as two Syrians aged 14 and 15 from Gelsenkirchen. However, the main suspect in the murder remains the 15-year-old German of Turkish descent, who was arrested on February 11th, the day after the attack.