Zambian Student Serving Prison Sentence Has Died On Ukrainian Battlefront

Lemekhani Nyirenda, a Zambian student who was arrested whilst studying in Russia, has died fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

 Mr Nyirenda had been studying at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute but was arrested under drug charges and was serving a nine-year prison sentence.

 His death has prompted questions by the Zambian government about the nature of his passing and why he was serving within the Russian army.

Although the student died in September his family were only informed of his death a few days ago.

Following the news, his family expressed their wishes to identify the body in Russia.

So far, the Zambian embassy in Russia has confirmed that Mr Nyirenda’s body has left Ukraine and is now in the southern border town of Rostov-on-Don and is ready for repatriation to Zambia.

Stanley Kakubo, Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, confirmed these details on Monday.

He said, "As minister, I have been personally in touch, and will maintain contact with the family of the deceased in order to provide an update on more details surrounding their loved one's death.”

The student was arrested when he was found handling a package, given to him by an unknown person, containing drugs while working as a part-time courier.

His father later explained that the family were unsure of who conscripted their son from prison and had also been told he had left a will for them in Russia.

Although the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death are unknown, earlier this year a video appeared which showed the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for shorted or retracted prison sentences.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, the New Dawn government have condemned any form of war and has called for international peace.

Photo: Getty Images