By our Correspondent
The Russian Embassy in Abuja has expressed sympathy over the death of Nigerian student, Marian Nnani, who was killed by an airstrike in Ukraine.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the embassy said it had taken note of several reports by some Nigerian media alleging that the student died as a result of Russian military operations.
The embassy maintained that there is no evidence at this stage to conclude that Russian forces were responsible for her death in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
However, the mission conveyed its “deepest and sincere condolences” to the family and friends of the deceased, describing her death as an irreparable loss.
It stressed that investigations into the incident are still ongoing and that there is no confirmed information identifying who was responsible for the student’s death.
“Attributing blame to Russia before the conclusion of investigations is premature and unsupported by any verified evidence,” the embassy said.
The Russian mission reiterated its position that the Russian Armed Forces conduct precision strikes only against military targets and do not intentionally attack civilians or civilian infrastructure.
It maintained that in many instances, civilian casualties in the conflict have resulted from the operations of Ukraine’s air defense system, and not Russian strikes.
“We condemn one-sided reporting by sections of the Nigerian media, accusing Russia of complicity without documentary proof while ignoring or supressing credible evidence of the strikes on the civilian targets in Russian territory by Ukraine armed forces. The embassy stated.
According to the embassy, there was an example that cited the May 22, 2026, attack on the Lugansk State Pedagogical University College in Starobelsk, where it claimed 21 students were killed in what it described as a deliberate strike by Ukrainian forces.
The embassy further reiterated that the circumstances surrounding the Nigerian student’s death remain under investigation and urged that conclusions on responsibility should await the outcome of official findings. (GSF)
