A Zambian student who was jailed for nine years in Russia over drugs has died fighting in the war in Ukraine, a state official in Lusaka confirmed on Monday.
23-year-old Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda, who was a student studying engineering at a Moscow physics institute was killed in battle in September, Zambia’s foreign Affairs minister Stanley Kasongo Kakubo told journalists.
While studying in Moscow Mr. Nyirenda was charged and found guilty of possessing drugs in April 2020 and jailed for nine years, the minister said.
According to the minister a letter by the Zambian government was sent to Moscow enquiring how Nyirenda was recruited to fight on the side of Russia in its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, a conflict that began in February.
He said Nyirenda’s remains which has since been transferred to Rostov in Russia will be flown to Zambia but failed to give further details about the date.
Thousands of volunteers have fought on both sides of the conflict since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24th 2022.
WN/as/APA