According to Zambian authorities, an exchange student who last lived in Moscow has died on the Russian-Ukrainian frontline. The 23-year-old may have previously been sentenced to prison in Russia – from where he may have been recruited for the front-line operation against Ukraine. The Zambian government is now demanding clarification.
Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda studied nuclear technology at the Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics (MEPhI), Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo announced on Monday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Mr. Nyirenda under such circumstances and extends its condolences to the family,” Kakubo told Al-Jazeera news channel.
He urged the Russian authorities to provide more details about Nyirenda’s recruitment and the conditions under which he fought in Ukraine.
Moscow confirmed the death
According to Kakubo, Nyirenda was sentenced in April 2020 to nine years in the maximum security prison in Tyer, on the outskirts of the Russian capital. It remains unclear on what charges Nyirenda was convicted. The foreign ministry said it had received news of Nyirenda’s death on November 9 and, after discussions with the Zambian embassy in Moscow, confirmed that the student had been killed on September 22.
It is not clear exactly where Nyirenda was in Ukraine at the time of his death, but his body was transferred to the Russian border town of Rostov to begin the repatriation process to Zambia.
recruitment in prisons
Kakubo said he has been in personal contact with Nyirenda’s family in Zambia and hopes to provide more details about their son’s death once there is an official report from Russian authorities.
Due to a massive shortage of soldiers, Russia is also promoting front-line operation in prisons. According to media critics of the Kremlin, the prisoners are likely to be promised release after the broadcast. In addition to the Ministry of Defense itself, the mercenary group Wagner is also looking for the armed forces in this way.
Source: Krone
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