A 23-year-old Nigerian, Nnani Adaobi Marian, a final-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University, has died from injuries sustained in a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 29, 2026.
Marian was caught up in the attack when guided aerial bombs hit the Kholodnohirskyi district of the city, according to Kateryna Bohuslavska, known online as “Kate from Kharkiv,” who has been chronicling the war’s impact on residents.
She was reportedly on her way to a graduation photoshoot with her close friend, Fatima Huseynova, ahead of their upcoming diploma ceremony when the strike occurred.
Bohuslavska said Marian was first treated in Kharkiv before being flown to Germany for specialist care, where she later died despite doctors’ efforts to save her.
Kharkiv National Medical University paid tribute to her, describing a hardworking student who had shown academic excellence since enrolling in 2020. The university noted she had taken part in international programmes, including an internship at the University of Cambridge in 2024 and another at Biruni University in Turkey in 2025.
The university called her bright, sincere, and driven by a genuine desire to help others, adding that her death is a deep loss to the academic community.
Marian had been due to graduate later this year. Her death adds to growing concern over how the war continues to affect international students studying in Ukraine.
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