The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied responsibility for the death of Nigerian medical graduate Marian Nnani in Kharkiv, Ukraine, saying there is no confirmed evidence that Russian military action caused her death.
In a statement issued following media reports on the incident, the embassy expressed condolences to Nnani's family and friends over what it described as their "irreparable loss."
The embassy maintained that it was too early to attribute responsibility for the incident, stating that there was no confirmed information on whose actions led to the student's death.
According to the statement, the injuries that resulted in Nnani's death could have been caused by the operation of Ukraine's air defence systems during the attack.
"The Embassy emphasises that at the moment there is no confirmed information on whose actions really caused the death of the student. It is widely known that the chaotic operation of the Ukrainian air defense is the primary cause of civil casualties," the statement said.
The embassy also insisted that Russian Armed Forces conduct strikes only against military targets and do not deliberately target civilians or civilian infrastructure.
It further accused sections of the Nigerian media of publishing reports that blamed Russia for the student's death without what it described as documented evidence.
The embassy also criticised the media for allegedly ignoring information it had previously circulated about an attack on the Lugansk State Pedagogical University College in Starobelsk, where it claimed 21 students were killed on May 22, 2026.
The death of Marian Nnani, a Nigerian medical graduate, has drawn public attention in Nigeria, with calls for clarity on the circumstances surrounding the incident as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
