The murder of a Ukrainian teenager in Ireland: a conflict over food ended in tragedy

The murder of a Ukrainian teenager in Ireland: a conflict over food ended in tragedy

New details emerge about the murder of 17-year-old Ukrainian Vadym Davydenko in Dublin, Ireland.

The young man was brutally stabbed by a peer from Somalia, who lived nearby in a center for underage refugees managed by Tusla (the Irish state agency for children and family affairs).

Davydenko, originally from Kyiv, arrived in Ireland just before the tragedy, a family friend told "Kraina." His parents remained in Ukraine, and his older brother serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Interestingly, Vadyk missed his flight to Dublin from Poland, and his mother asked him to return, possibly sensing something. However, Vadyk decided to reach Ireland at any cost - he dreamed of enrolling in a local university and becoming a specialist in cybersecurity. He was to turn 18 on November 1, so the family decided to take precautions in case the borders suddenly closed for those who are already 18," the family friend said.

Since Vadym traveled alone, he was accommodated in a refugee center due to his minor status, with plans to move him into temporary housing two weeks later upon reaching adulthood. Four teen refugees who had arrived in the country without adults were also accommodated at the Grattan Wood apartment complex, which operates under the aegis of Tusla.

The dreadful incident occurred around 11 a.m. on October 15 in the shared kitchen of the apartments.

"According to our police sources, the conflict between the boys from Somalia and Ukraine could have arisen over food. The Ukrainian was preparing bacon and eggs for breakfast, which angered the Somali boy, who, due to religious beliefs, does not eat pork. The Somali boy attacked the Ukrainian with a kitchen knife and viciously cut him, gouging out his eyes. He tried to defend himself, leaving many cuts on his arms, as well as on his head and chest," Irish journalist Stephen Hand told "Kraina."

The Somali boy attempted to attack another neighbor, but he resisted. He also injured a staff member who tried to stop him and then harmed himself.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the Somali with a bloodied kitchen knife. He had locked himself in the bathroom. Davydenko’s body was found in the kitchen. Police forced their way into the bathroom, used pepper spray on the suspect, and arrested him, seizing the knife.

Davydenko’s family announced a fundraising campaign for the repatriation of his remains to Ukraine and the funeral (raising 350,000 UAH in three days), but the expenses for transporting the body (8,000 euros) were soon covered by the Irish side.

According to relatives, the boy was very kind and cared for his grandmother, who was ill with cancer, for several months.

"He was only 17 years old, had just graduated from school, and went to seek a better life in Ireland. He was kind, very smart, well-mannered, and incredibly just," his relative Vlad Gryshko wrote on social media.

This is the second high-profile knife attack on Ukrainian refugees in recent months - in August in the USA, a Black recidivist killed a 23-year-old Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska on a train.