BERLIN (AP) — The public prosecutor general's office in Munich on Monday took over the investigation into the stabbing deaths of two Ukrainian men in southern Germany because of a possible political motivation for the crime, German news agency dpa reported.
The two Ukrainians, who were 23 and 36 years old and lived in the southern German county of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, were killed at a shopping center in the village of Murnau in Upper Bavaria on Saturday evening. A short time later, police arrested a 57-year-old Russian on suspicion of murder, dpa reported.
“The motive for the crime is currently still unclear. However, a political motivation cannot be ruled out and investigations are being carried out in all directions,” the Munich public prosecutor general’s office said Monday afternoon, dpa reported.
The public prosecutor general's office usually takes over investigations from regular prosecutors if there is a possible political motive for a crime. The Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism is also involved in the investigation, dpa reported.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday that it appeared the two men were military servicemen undergoing medical rehabilitation in Germany.
The names of the victims and the suspect weren’t released in line with German privacy rules. The motive for the killings isn't yet known, authorities said.
According to an initial investigation, the three men knew each other, but further details need to be verified, local police spokesperson Stefan Sonntag told dpa. There were also indications that all three men had consumed alcohol.
“We have clear evidence that the suspect was under the influence of alcohol,” Sonntag was quoted as saying.
A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday expressed concern about the killings.
“This is a worrying incident, no question about it. The circumstances must now be investigated more closely," Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin.
“We can only speculate about the motives at the moment," he added. "But it is clear that we cannot tolerate such a thing on German soil anyway and that the Ukrainians, Ukrainians who have fled to us from the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, must now be safe.”
More than 1 million Ukrainian refugees have come to Germany since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Germany is also home to a significant Russian immigrant community and 2.5 million Russians of German ancestry who mostly moved to the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Associated Press journalist Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
Investigators in killing of 2 Ukrainians in Germany are looking into a possible political motive
Flowers and a small Ukrainian flag are laid at a shopping center in Murnau, Germany, Sunday, April 28, 2024. Police say two Ukrainian men have been stabbed to death in southern Germany and a Russian man was arrested by authorities as a possible suspect in the killings. German news agency dpa reported Sunday that the two Ukrainians, who were 23 and 36 years old and lived in the southern German county of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, were killed on the premises of a shopping center in the village of Murnau in Upper Bavaria. (Constanze Wilz/dpa via AP)
Investigators in killing of 2 Ukrainians in Germany are looking into a possible political motive
ROME (AP) — More competition days, more tickets sold, more TV time, more money.
For tennis organizers, the long-sought upgrade of tournaments in Madrid and Rome — expanding them from eight days to nearly two weeks — has been a bonanza.
For the players? Well, they haven’t been nearly as enthusiastic.
With Madrid and Rome following already established two-week events in Indian Wells and Miami, several of the highest-ranked players — the ones who consistently reach the final stages of these tournaments — are growing weary of spending so much more time on the road.
“You got to be some type of superhero to be consistent back-to-back 10 days in each event getting to the very end of it,” recent Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas said in Rome.
What bothers the top players is that these Masters-level tournaments are being modeled after Grand Slams but they’re still not as prestigious as the Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
In essence, the tournaments in Madrid and Rome are merely warmups for Roland Garros.
“We wanted more drama and then we stretched the drama a bit too much, where it kind of becomes like the ‘telenova’ that was too many seasons,” said Victoria Azarenka, who was formerly ranked No. 1. “Hopefully we make some adjustments, because it’s too long."
Next year, the Cincinnati Open — a warmup for the U.S. Open — will also be expanded to the two-week format, which increases the draws from 64 to 96 players.
“People want to watch top players play against each other, week in and week out. … There is a market for that, but there has to be a thought to make sure we do take care of our players,” Azarenka said.
The top 32 seeds in the expanded events get byes to the second round, and all players get days off between matches — which is a change from the old format.
“The two-week Masters 1000 events is great for players that are ranked between 50 and 100 in the world because they get a chance to play a main-draw event at a Masters 1000 event. It’s not great for top-10 players,” fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev said.
“Yes, you do get told you have a day in between, you don’t have to play every day. At the end of the day that’s not resting. Resting is when you’re spending time at home, when you’re sleeping in your own bed, maybe with your family, maybe with your dogs, maybe with your kids if you have kids, right? ... A day between matches, if you’re at a different place, that’s not resting. If you’re trying to make semifinals or finals of every event, you’re just away a lot longer, and you have to work a lot more.”
The schedule has been a hot topic lately because of injuries to the men's tour’s two top young players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, even if their injuries might not be a direct result of the longer tournaments.
Sinner (injured hip) and Alcaraz (right forearm) both withdrew from Rome.
But injuries to top players are nothing new.
“I like this two-week format,” fourth-ranked Daniil Medvedev said. “I like when there is a day off. … I don’t think injuries would come from this format.”
Added 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, “At the end the players want to make money. The tournaments want to make money. Then it’s all (a) cycle that comes together. We accept that role.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Serbia's Novak Djokovic serves the ball to Chile's Alejandro Tabilo as spectators are reflected in a glass dividers on the stands at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Spain's Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Belgium's Zizou Bergs at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/{photograper)
Victoria Azarenka reacts during her match against Danielle Collins of the US at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Wednesday, May 15, 2024.Collins beat Azarenka 6-4, 6-3. (AP Photo/Antonietta Baldassarre)
Germany's Alexander Zverev returns the ball to Italy's Luciano Darderi at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates with fans after winning a match against Germany's Angelique Kerber at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
