Zambian student forced to fight for Russia killed in Ukraine

A Zambian student who was serving a prison sentence in Russia has been killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russia.

Zambia’s Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo said on Monday that 23-year-old Lemekhani Nyirenda, a nuclear engineering student at Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, was forced to fight for the Russian side.

In a statement, the minister says Nyirenda was killed on 22 September but the Russian authorities only notified the Zambian government on 9 November.

Nyirenda was serving a nine year and six months jail term at a medium-security prison outside Moscow after being convicted of contravening Russian law in April 2020.

“The Zambian government has requested the Russian authorities to urgently provide information on the circumstances under which a Zambian citizen, serving a prison sentence in Moscow, could have been recruited to fight in Ukraine,” says Nyirenda.

Kakubo says, as a minister, he’s deeply saddened by Nyirenda’s death under such circumstances. He says his remains have been transported to the Russian border town of Rostov in readiness for repatriation to Zambia.

The student’s father, Edwin Nyirenda, says they were planning to go to Russia to identify the body.

CNN reported in August that Russian authorities were promising prisoners freedom and riches if they fought for the country.

One prisoner, who spoke to the TV news station, claimed that the authorities said they would accept murderers, but not rapists, pedophiles, extremists, or terrorists to participate in the war.

“Amnesty or a pardon in six months is on offer. Somebody talks about 100,000 rubles a month, another 200,000. Everything is different,” the man claimed.

Compiled by Kamogelo Olaitan

Image source: @RandCorporation

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