The remains of a Zambian student killed while fighting for Russia in Ukraine is expected to be repatriated the southern African country this weekend, Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo announced on Friday.
Kakubo told parliament that Lemekhani Nyirenda’s body arrived in Moscow on Friday and it was expected in Zambia on Sunday.
“The body of Lemekhani has today 9 December arrived in Moscow and will arrive in Zambia on December 11,” Kakubo said.
He said Moscow had responded to a query from the Zambian authorities regarding the circumstances under which Nyirenda ended up fighting for Russia.
“We were informed that Russia allows for prisoners to be provided an opportunity for pardon in exchange for participation in the special military operation,” Kakubo said.
The student was serving a nine-and-half-year prison sentence imposed in April 2020 for a drug offence.
Nyirenda was killed on the battlefield in Ukraine in September, prompting Zambia to ask how he had ended up fighting in the war.
The minister said he had been told that the Zambian national was pardoned on August 23 to join the military operation in exchange for an amnesty.
He said Nyirenda’s family is pushing for compensation for the death of their son who was studying nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute.
JN/APA