A British aid worker detained by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine and accused of “mercenary activities” has died, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Paul Urey, who had been captured by the Russian army in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, allegedly died Sunday at the age of 45 “due to illness and stress.”
Reports cite RDP ombudswoman Daria Morozova, who wrote in her Telegram account: “British representatives ignored even the possibility of negotiating their return as part of the prisoner exchange procedure.
“In addition, they did not offer the necessary medical preparations through the Red Cross. Paul Urey received adequate medical care, but given the diagnoses and stress, he died on July 10. “
Dominik Byrne, founder of the nonprofit Presidium Network, said Mr. Urey had diabetes and that there were concerns about his well-being.
The British government expressed concern over reports of his death.
A spokesman for No. 10 said: “These are clearly alarming reports and our thoughts are obviously with his family and friends.”
Mr Urey, of Warrington, and his British compatriot Dylan Healy, 22, were arrested by Vladimir Putin’s troops on April 25, according to the charity. Byrne said the men worked as independent humanitarian aid volunteers.
The couple was reportedly trying to evacuate a woman and two children from Dniprorudne, in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, when they were detained at a checkpoint and detained.
They have been accused of mercenaries, for which Moscow’s maximum penalty is the death penalty.
Ms Morozova wrote in the Telegram: “Official representatives of the United Kingdom (including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy in the Russian Federation and members of the British Parliament) were notified of the capture of Paul Urey.
“In addition, at his request, the relevant information was transferred to foreign media. However, there was no reaction from the United Kingdom. “
In May, images emerged from an interview shown on Russian television in which Mr Urey, while handcuffed, says he traveled to Ukraine to “see if the refugee crisis was really as bad as what they say in the news “in Britain.
He is heard saying he took pictures of a bridge that had been blown up “to prove the media in England are lying”.
Urey says he previously traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2008 and 2010, as well as Libya to “help the revolution.”
After watching the interview, her mother Linda said she believed she was speaking under duress.
She said in a statement: “I saw the interview on Russian television of my son Paul Urey.
“This is physically my son, but he is not acting in his natural way; his words are too real and his facial expressions make me disbelieve what he says. He usually speaks fast and to the point.
“I know my son like any mother, and that’s not natural.”