Investigations are continuing in the Republic of Ireland into the fatal stabbing of a teenage boy who had come to the country seeking asylum.
Vadym Davydenko, who was from Ukraine, died yesterday after being stabbed during an altercation at emergency accommodation provided by the Irish Child and Family Agency, Tusla,
In a statement, the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland said it expressed its “deepest condolences to Vadym’s family and loved ones at this time of unspeakable loss”.
The embassy added it is in close contact with Gardaí (Irish police) who are investigating the circumstances of the tragedy as well as other Irish authorities.
Arrangements are now being made for the return of the teenager’s body to his home country.
“The embassy is providing the necessary support to the family and is preparing for the repatriation of Vadym’s body to Ukraine,” it said.
Another teenage boy is being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the fatal disturbance, at around 11:00 local time yesterday. His injuries are non-life-threatening, according to Gardaí.
A female member of staff also received treatment in hospital.
The incident happened at a private apartment complex at Gratton Wood in Donaghmede outside Dublin city.
The Child and Family Agency said emergency residential care was being provided “on a 24-hour basis to four unaccompanied young people seeking international protection”.
Gardaí say the scene has been undergoing examinations by the Garda Technical Bureau, and Forensic Science Ireland.
Investigators also say the results of a post-mortem examination will assist in determining the course of the investigation.
Gardaí have also stated that they are not looking for any other person in relation to the incident and investigators are following “a definite line of enquiry”.
Irish state agencies are now providing assistance and care to the other juveniles and staff who were in the accommodation at the time of the fatal incident.
The occupants have been moved to alternative accommodation.
The tragedy has stunned the local community in the heavily populated private residential development at Gratton Wood, which is a gated community along a busy main road.
Asylum seekers are also known as international protection applicants in the Republic of Ireland.
People can apply for international protection in the Republic of Ireland if they have come to the country to escape persecution in their own country or if they cannot return to their country because they have a well-founded fear for their safety, according to the Irish government.
A recent report from the Irish advocacy group Empowering People in Care (EPIC) noted “a significant rise in the number of separated children entering the country, either as temporary protection applicants fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or as international protection applicants from other countries” since 2022.
According to the Republic or Ireland’s International Protection Office (IPO), it refers a child under the age of 18, who arrives in the country without being in the custody of an adult, to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.
It says the Child and Family Agency can then decide if an application for international protection should be made on behalf of the minor.
