A Nigerian final-year medical student at Kharkiv National Medical University, Nnani Adaobi Marian, has died after sustaining severe injuries in a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Adaobi, 23, was critically injured during an aerial bomb attack on the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv on June 29, 2026, while on her way to a graduation photoshoot with her friend, Fatima Huseynova.
According to Ukrainian commentator Kateryna Bohuslavska, popularly known as “Kate from Kharkiv”, Huseynova died at the scene, while Adaobi was initially treated in Kharkiv before being transferred to Germany, where she died on July 5 despite doctors’ efforts to save her.
Kharkiv National Medical University described Adaobi as a brilliant, hardworking and compassionate student who enrolled in 2020 and excelled academically throughout her studies.
The university also highlighted her participation in international medical internships at the University of Cambridge in 2024 and Biruni University in 2025, where she further strengthened her clinical and research experience.
In a tribute, the institution said Adaobi would be remembered as a talented student, a kind-hearted individual and a valued member of the university community. It also extended its condolences to her family, friends and classmates.
