In March 2025, a man attacked passersby in central Amsterdam, injuring five people. Dutch broadcaster NOS has identified the suspected attacker as a 30-year-old Ukrainian defector who wanted to go to a European prison.
Journalists say that the suspect Roman D. deserted while on vacation abroad. Back in January, he said he wanted to go to his mother in the Czech Republic, so the command allowed him to take a vacation. However, the man never arrived — his mother says she has not spoken to him since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. According to her, the Dutch police told her that her son came to the Netherlands directly from Ukraine.
Roman D. with former comrades.
Former comrades add that even before leaving Ukraine, the man repeatedly spoke of his desire to end up in a European prison.
“He often said that he wanted to kill someone in Norway so that he could go to prison and be under supervision for the rest of his life. He studied the laws of different countries to understand how he could be sentenced to life imprisonment. He had long shown signs that something was wrong with his mental state,” says the suspect’s former commander Yuriy Malyuta.
Deputy Commander Viktor recalls how one evening he and Roman were sitting by the campfire and discussing their plans for the post-war period. Then Roman said, "Iʼm going to a prison in Europe. The food is delicious and comfortable; thereʼs nothing to do."
At first, Romanʼs comrades didnʼt take his remarks about prison seriously. They say they brushed it off. But now that the man was actually in a prison cell, they were convinced that he was serious all along. In the spring, Roman contacted the commander and said that he would never return to Ukraine.
Roman D. with former comrades.
After the attack, police were unable to immediately identify the man because he had different documents. Journalists say they were forged documents from five of his colleagues, who were later contacted by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine as witnesses.
Roman D. comes from the village of Sartana in the Donetsk region, which is now occupied by Russia. This led investigators to suspect that the stabbing in Amsterdam was part of a Russian operation. However, the manʼs former brothers are skeptical:
“Roman fought against the Russians for years, it’s hard to imagine that he could be working for them,” says one of them. But they can’t completely rule out the possibility: “Maybe he was contacted by someone from his hometown who is now working for the Russians.” The Dutch prosecutor’s office is considering all versions.
Roman D. with former comrades.
According to journalists, Roman D. joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army before the invasion in 2022. In 2019, he was assigned to the artillery unit of the 503rd battalion, which, among other things, participated in the defense of Vuhledar and on the outskirts of Kherson.
In 2023, Roman suffered a severe head injury from a grenade explosion. He told his comrades that he often suffered from dizziness. So he was transferred to an administrative position, where, according to the military, he became even more isolated.
His brothers describe him as withdrawn, provocative and volatile. One calls him a recluse, another says he constantly changed his mind and “always wanted to argue.” According to acquaintances, Roman was “fascinated” by billionaire Elon Musk and bitcoin. And another says Roman was interested in radical Islam: “He read the Quran and talked a lot about Allah. But this is Roman, he gets carried away quickly.”
The trial of the Ukrainian will begin in early July.
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