The body of a Zambian student, recruited in a Russian prison before being killed during fighting in Ukraine, will be repatriated to his family on Sunday, the Zambian government announced on Friday (December 9th).
Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda, 23 and serving a prison sentence near Moscow, was killed in September fighting for the Russian army.
"
Lemekhani's body arrived in Moscow today and will arrive in Zambia on December 11,
" Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo told parliament.
Zambia last month demanded an urgent explanation from Russia about the circumstances of his death.
Two weeks later, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner admitted having recruited the young man in prison, claiming that he had voluntarily joined Wagner before dying "
a hero
" in Ukraine.
Family compensation discussed 'in due time'
On September 22, he was "
one of the first to penetrate the enemy trenches, showing courage and bravery
", declared the head of Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine, a reputed oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.
Read alsoRussia accused of summary executions and torture of Ukrainian prisoners
“
Russian laws allow the pardoning of prisoners in the context of special military operations
,” explained the Zambian minister.
"
Unfortunately, Lemekhani was killed
," he added.
The question of compensation for the family for this death will be discussed "
in due course
", added the minister.
According to Zambia, the young man was studying nuclear engineering at the Institute of Engineering Physics in Moscow.
He had been sentenced to nine years in prison in April 2020 for a drug case.