A student from Zambia, who was serving a prison sentence in Russia, died in the war in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Zambia reported about this.

It is noted that 23-year-old Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda studied nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. In 2020, he was convicted of drug possession.

Stanley Kakubo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zambia, said that on November 9, the country’s government was informed of Nyirenda’s death in the war in Ukraine.

The Zambian government appealed to the Russian authorities with a demand to urgently provide information about the circumstances under which a Zambian citizen got into the war in Ukraine, although he should be in prison.

According to available information, the student died on September 22. Subsequently, his remains were transported to Rostov, now they must be delivered to the student’s homeland.

Oleh Nikolenko, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stated Ukraine appeals to the African Union and African states to demand from Russia to stop the pressure on their nationals.

Nikolenko also wrote on Twitter that Africans should not die for Putin’s sick imperial ambitions.

Putin is sending African citizens imprisoned in Russia to the war in Ukraine. A former Zambian student was killed. We call on African Union and all African states to demand that Russia stop press ganging their nationals. Africans shouldn’t die for Putin’s sick imperial ambitions. pic.twitter.com/CopTP6OEy1

— Oleh Nikolenko ???? (@OlehNikolenko_) November 15, 2022

As previously reported, Ukrainian intelligence has repeatedly reported that the Russians involve convicts in hostilities. In particular, they are recruited to a private military company run by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

At the end of October, information appeared that the Russian Wagner/Liga PMC had recruited more than 8,000 mercenaries. Most of them are convicts.

The main part of these units has already reached the front line.

In addition, a video of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who personally recruits prisoners in Russia for the war in Ukraine, is in the public domain.

As previously reported, Russian President Putin signed a decree allowing Russians with dual citizenship to be conscripted.