Father of four Ukrainians fighting Russia stabbed Ukrainian at direct provision centre
Gordon Deegan
A 61-year-old Ukrainian national who has four sons fighting in the war against the Russians, stabbed a man in the buttocks at a direct provision centre in north Clare, a court has heard.
In the incident at the Burren Hostel, Doolin Rd, Lisdoonvarna, on November 28th 2023, Petro Drima stabbed Ukrainian, Oleksandr Lozyuk, in a row sparked by Mr Lozyuk’s refusal to give the key to his bedroom to Mr Drima, who was with a woman at the time.
At the time, Mr Lozyuk lived in his own room at the hostel while Mr Drima lived in shared accommodation there.
In the case, Mr Drima has pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm to Mr Lozyuk.
At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford said that it was a serious offence.
He said that Mr Lozyuk had left the fight and the altercation, but that Mr Drima stabbed him from behind in the buttocks.
Judge Comerford said that the injury sustained by Mr Lozyuk “isn’t insignificant – it is quite wide – 5cm - and deep, 3cm”.
Judge Comerford said that “the custodial threshold is reached due to the seriousness of the offending is concerned”.
In evidence, Garda Brion Dolan said that Mr Lozyuk was preparing potatoes in the kitchen of the hostel on the night when Mr Drima approached him.
Garda Dolan said: “Mr Drima asked the injured party for the key to his bedroom so that Mr Drima could bring a lady back.
Garda Dolan said that Mr Lozyuk “refused to hand over the bedroom keys and there was an argument between both parties”.
After the initial argument, Mr Drima shortly after produced the knife where he stabbed Mr Lozyuk in the buttocks as he walked up the stairs.
The Garda said that at Garda interview, Mr Drima did express dislike for the injured party.
Garda Dolan said that Mr Lozuyk and the accused “shared a room at the hostel and Mr Lozyuk was moved to his own room because of his snoring and his own behaviour".
Garda Dolan said that Mr Drima had arrived in Ireland after he left Ukraine following his discharge from the Ukrainian army on reaching his 60th birthday in the Summer of 2023.
Prior to the war, Mr Drima had an agri business in Kherson in Ukraine and was working an an agri-worker in north Clare at the time of the November 2023 incident.
Garda Dolan said that Mr Drima received an eight-year, six-month prison term in 2009 in the Russian city of Belgorod for theft and robbery.
Mr Drima was released in October 2016, and counsel for Mr Drima, Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor Tara Godfrey), said that Mr Drima denies all wrongdoing concerning the robbery offence and said that he was targeted by the Russians because he is Ukrainian.
Mr Whyms said that Mr Drima has spoken about the stress of the war, including the impact of shelling.
In a Garda interview, Mr Whyms said that at the time of the incident, Mr Drima said that he was thinking “about Ukraine, my mother, my sons in the war, my life and my soul”.
After being initially charged, Mr Drima spent time in custody after bail was refused in the district court, and he subsequently secured bail in the High Court.
Judge Comerford adjourned sentencing to allow a psychiatric report to be carried out on Mr Drima and adjourned the case to May 30th to fix a date for sentencing. Judge Comerford further remanded Mr Drima on bail.
