Russia's embassy in Nigeria has responded to reports that a 23-year-old Nigerian student, Nnani Adaobi Marian, died in a Russian airstrike in Kharkov, Ukraine. The diplomatic mission issued a statement on Tuesday addressing coverage by major Nigerian newspapers including The Guardian, The Punch, Leadership and Vanguard.
The embassy expressed "deepest and sincere condolences" to Marian's family and friends over her death. However, it stopped short of accepting responsibility for the incident.
According to the statement, Russia has no confirmed information about what caused the student's death. The embassy claimed that chaotic operations by Ukrainian air defence systems are the primary source of civilian casualties in the conflict.
The Russian mission insisted that its armed forces only strike military targets belonging to the Ukrainian regime and never deliberately target civilians or civilian infrastructure. It rejected what it termed "biased" reporting by Nigerian media outlets.
The embassy accused Nigerian newspapers of publishing one-sided stories accusing Russia without documented proof. It said the outlets have deliberately ignored evidence of what it calls terrorist actions by Ukrainian authorities that have killed innocent people.
Russia pointed to the May 22, 2026 attack on Lugansk State Pedagogical University in Starobelsk, where the embassy said 21 students were killed. The mission claimed Nigerian media outlets had ignored information it sent them about this incident.
The federal government had earlier announced it was in contact with relevant authorities and Nigeria's missions in Ukraine and Germany to investigate Marian's death. Officials said they would provide consular assistance to her family.
The statement represents Russia's first official response to international coverage of the student's death. Tensions remain high over civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
