A 23-year-old Nigerian medical student has died after sustaining severe injuries in a Russian airstrike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, just days before her graduation.
The victim, Nnani Adaobi Marian, a final-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University, was reportedly on her way to a graduation photo session with her friend, Fatima Huseynova, when the strike occurred.
It was gathered that Huseynova died at the scene, while Marian sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a medical facility, where she later slipped into unconsciousness.
In a statement issued yesterday, Kharkiv National Medical University said Marian was initially treated in Kharkiv before being transferred to Germany for advanced medical care, but succumbed to her injuries despite efforts by doctors to save her.
“As a result of enemy shelling, Nnani Adaobi Marian was seriously injured. Doctors fought for her life until the last moment: first in Kharkiv, and later in Germany,” the university said.
“Everyone sympathised, helped and hoped for her recovery, but, unfortunately, despite all the efforts of the doctors, they could not save her.”
According to the university, Marian enrolled in 2020 and distinguished herself through outstanding academic performance and active participation in international medical training programmes, including internships at the University of Cambridge in 2024 and Biruni University in 2025.
The institution described her as “a bright, sincere and kind-hearted person” who was deeply committed to learning and helping others.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces launched aerial bomb attacks on several regions, including Kharkiv, on June 29, killing at least 14 people and injuring 98 others across the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions.