A Nigerian medical student has died after suffering critical injuries in a Russian airstrike in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, just days before she was due to graduate, her university said.
Nnani Adaobi Marian, 23, a final-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University, was injured during a Russian aerial bombardment of the city’s Kholodnohirskyi district on June 29.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the university said Marian was initially treated in Kharkiv before being transferred to Germany, where doctors were unable 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.
“Everyone sympathized, helped and hoped for her recovery, but, unfortunately, despite all the efforts of the doctors, they could not save her,” the university said.
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.
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The institution described her as “a bright, sincere and kind-hearted person” with a strong commitment to learning and helping others.
Marian was reportedly travelling with her friend, Fatima Huseynova, for a graduation photo session when the strike occurred. The two were scheduled to receive their medical degrees the following day.
