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The founder of the Wagner group and associate of the President of Russia Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed that the Zambian student who died in Ukraine fought on the side of the mercenaries.

Lemehani Natan Nyirenda, 23, was supposed to serve a sentence of nine years and six months in a prison near Moscow, but was killed on September 22 at the front line. Zambia demanded an explanation from Russia about the case, and Prigozhin, who recruits prisoners in Russia, finally broke his silence. admitting that the young man was recruited by the Wagner group.

A Zambian student arrested in Russia died in combat in Ukraine. Zambia needs an explanation

“Yes, I remember him well. I spoke with him in the Tver region, ”he said, quoting Moscow Times🇧🇷 The oligarch said that he tried to dissuade him from participating in the military actions of Russia, but the young man voluntarily decided to fight in Ukraine, praising Russia for “helping Africans gain independence.”

I asked him: “Why do you need this war?” In a couple of years you will be ahead of your time, soon you will be able to be at home and see your family.”

The young man did not return home, but, according to Prigogine, he was one of the first who broke into the enemy trenches and “the hero died”.

According to Telegraph, Lemehani Nathan Nyirenda was admitted to the Engineering Physics Institute in Moscow in 2018. Two years later, he was arrested for drug possession after he was stopped by the police while he was working in time to have fun in the delivery service. He is one of the prisoners recruited by the Russian oligarch to reinforce troops on the war front in Ukraine.

“Putin’s boss” and leader of the Wagner group recruits prisoners for the war in Ukraine. And to those who do not like it, he answers: “Send your children.”

Ukraine accuses Prigozhin of sending thousands of militants recruited directly from Russian prisons to the front in exchange for the promise of salaries and amnesty.

“In just one week, the enemy bombed 258 times 30 settlements in our Kherson region,” in the south of the country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his usual evening message, which was broadcast on television.

“They are not capable of anything, only destruction. This is what they leave behind. What they are doing now against Ukraine is an attempt at revenge. Revenge for the fact that the Ukrainians defended themselves several times against them,” he said.

According to the official news agency Ukrinform, Russia has attacked Kherson 21 times over the past 24 hours, hitting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure with its missiles.

As in previous days, air raid sirens sounded again over Ukraine, but without a massive attack.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said flights by Russian strategic bombers had been recorded, but “threats of attack by ground-launched missiles” had also been recorded.

According to the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian troops are preparing to launch another wave of missile strikes on Ukraine next week.

“But most likely, these preparations are aimed at maintaining the pace of recent attacks, and not increasing them due to the limited Russian missile arsenal,” ISW said.

On Monday, Zelenskiy warned of a possible new massive attack later this week.

The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people – more than six million internally displaced people and more than 7.8 million – to European countries – according to the latest UN figures. which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).

The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia. political and economic sanctions.

The UN has presented as confirmed 6,655 civilian deaths and 10,368 wounded since the start of the war, stressing that these figures are much lower than the real ones.