A 30-year-old Ukrainian deserter, Roman D., who stabbed five people in an Amsterdam square on March 27, dreamed of landing in a Western European prison, according to Dutch public broadcaster NOS. While it remains unclear if this was the true motive behind his attack, his former comrades revealed he had long expressed a desire to commit a crime to secure a life sentence in a comfortable Western jail.
Roman D. reportedly fled Ukraine during a brief leave, claiming he intended to visit his mother, who had sought refuge in the Czech Republic after Russia’s invasion. However, his mother told Dutch media that he never arrived and that she had not spoken to him since the war began. She learned from Dutch police that her son had gone straight to Amsterdam, but she remains baffled by his decision to attack random passersby. “He did well in school and didn’t have bad friends,” she said.
Former comrades suggested a possible motive, noting Roman’s fixation on being incarcerated in the West. “He often talked about killing someone in Norway to get imprisoned there and be taken care of for life. He studied laws of different countries to figure out how to get a life sentence,” said his former commander, Yuriy Malyuta, who noted signs of Roman’s deteriorating mental health. Another comrade, Viktor Bystryk, recalled Roman joking about European prisons offering “good food and comfort” with no need to work. “We thought he was kidding,” Bystryk said. After the Amsterdam attack, however, Malyuta realized, “He fulfilled that idiotic dream.”
Roman’s identity was initially hard to pin down, as he carried forged documents belonging to five of his former comrades, who were later questioned by Dutch authorities. “He acted like he thought he was a spy, believing it was smart to carry fake IDs,” Malyuta said.
Dutch investigators are exploring whether the attack, for which Roman faces attempted murder charges with a terrorist motive, could be linked to a Russian operation, given his birthplace in Russian-occupied Sartana, Donetsk region. European intelligence has long warned of Russian sabotage efforts to destabilize the West. However, Roman’s comrades doubt this theory, citing his years of fighting against Russia alongside them.
A career soldier, not a conscript, Roman joined Ukraine’s 503rd Battalion artillery unit in 2019, later participating in battles in Vuhledar and near Kherson. In 2023, he suffered a severe concussion from a grenade explosion and was reassigned to an administrative role in the 15th Separate Regiment. Colleagues described him as reclusive, provocative, and erratic, with rapidly shifting interests ranging from Elon Musk and bitcoin to radical Islam and support for causes like Palestine and LGBT rights. “He’d read the Quran and talk about Allah, but that’s just Roman—he’d get swept up quickly,” one soldier said.
His provocative nature also surfaced online. In 2016, Roman used a childhood photo of Adolf Hitler as a profile picture on a now-deleted Russian social media account. His Telegram username included “1488,” a neo-Nazi code referencing the “14 Words” slogan and “Heil Hitler.” Former comrades believe he may be deliberately antagonizing Dutch authorities, just as he often challenged his commanders.