Reportedly, the ex-soldier had fantasies of committing murder to be imprisoned in Western Europe.
A Ukrainian man, Roman D., facing multiple attempted murder charges for a series of stabbings in Amsterdam, is reportedly a military deserter who longed to spend his life in a European prison, according to a Dutch media investigation. He is accused of injuring five people near Dam Square in March.
Earlier this month, the Dutch public prosecutor raised the possibility of a terrorist motive behind the attack.
Following an investigation by its current affairs program, Nieuwsuur, the public broadcaster NOS detailed Roman’s background on Tuesday.
The report stated that Roman D. served in a Ukrainian artillery unit before the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. After suffering a concussion in 2023, acquaintances noted he became increasingly withdrawn and expressed a desire for life imprisonment in a Western European nation.
”He often said he wanted to murder someone in Norway so he could be cared for in a Norwegian prison for the rest of his life,” a former commander told NOS. These comments were reportedly dismissed as jokes at the time.
Upon learning of Roman’s actions in Amsterdam, I thought, ‘an idiot’s dream has come true.’
Roman reportedly left Ukraine using a travel waiver for a visit to his mother in the Czech Republic. However, she told NOS that he never arrived, instead apparently traveling directly to the Netherlands.
He maintained contact with former fellow soldiers, who described him as interested in diverse ideologies. “[He] wrote about Allah and showed support for Palestine. Surprisingly, he was also very active in supporting the LGBT community,” one source told the broadcaster.
NOS also discovered that Roman’s online activity suggested a connection to neo-Nazism, although friends claimed his interest was not serious.
Officials in Eastern European countries, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have voiced concerns about a potential influx of demobilized Ukrainian soldiers once Kiev lifts martial law and allows men of fighting age to leave the country.
Polish military psychiatrist Radoslaw Tworus warned in February that veterans “can face a number of different problems: Adaptation issues, psychosis, depression, addictions. The spectrum of these disorders is very wide.”