Zambian Student Jailed by Russia Dies in Combat in Ukraine War, Zambia Speculates Student Was Recruited

• A nuclear engineering student from Zambia has been killed on the frontlines of Russia's war on Ukraine
• The Zambian government wants to know how Lemekhani Nyirenda, who was serving a nine-year prison sentence, ended up in the war
• Officials speculated that Russian authorities recruited Nyirenda on the promise that his sentence would be reduced or suspended

ZAMBIA - The Zambian government has questions for Russia, first and foremost being how one of Zambia's citizens serving time in the European country ended up in the Ukraine war.

Zambian student Lemekhani Nyirenda was conscripted into the Russian army while serving his prison sentence. According to Zambian Foreign Affairs Minister Stanley Kakubo, Russian officials informed the country that Nyrendi died in September but didn't divulge how.

Speaking to Newsroom Afrika, former Zambian Ambassador to South Africa Emmanuel Mawmba speculates that Russian authorities recruited Nyirenda on the promise that his prison sentence would be suspended or reduced at the war's end.

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The 23-year-old was studying nuclear engineering at a university in Moscow when he was convicted of contravening Russian law in April 2020 and was sentenced to nine years of jail time in a medium-security prison.

Zambia wants to know exactly why and how Nyirenda was recruited to fight in the Ukraine war. According to IOL, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working on finding out details about Nyirenda's death on the Ukraine frontline.

While Zambian officials wait for answers, the student's remains have been transported to the border town of Rostov in Russia, where they will be repatriated to Zambia, SowetanLIVE reported.

Nyirenda's Family are expected to travel to Russia to identify the remains of their loved one.

Netizens react to the heartbreaking death of the Zambian student

Social media users have just as many questions about how the nuclear engineering student ended up on the battlefront.

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Here are some reactions:

@Njeri_wanyeri commented:

"So painful for his family! Unbelievable."

@damzithegreat claimed:

"Russia started deploying prisoners to the front some weeks ago. When the full details of this war are revealed (from BOTH sides), the world will be shocked. But as usual, nothing will happen."

@PalesaMogorosi_ added:

"Sounds like some type of movie because, what?!"

@1chee254 asked:

"Under the Russian military or under the private military group Wagner? Because Wagner has a habit of recruiting people in prison."

@FolllowMe_ stated:

"Very sad development there."

US, allies to 'figure out what happened' with Poland strike

In another story, Briefly News reported that Washington and its allies said on Wednesday they would investigate a deadly strike in Poland before deciding the next steps, with US President Joe Biden saying it was "unlikely" the missile was fired from Russia.

"We agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion," Biden told reporters after a hastily arranged gathering of allies on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, Indonesia.

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"We're going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened... and then we're going to collectively determine our next step," added Biden after talks with G7 and other European leaders.

Source: Briefly News