After being apprehended on April 25 at a checkpoint near the city of Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, Mr. Urey was charged with “mercenary activity.”
According to a family member speaking to Sky News, a British humanitarian worker who was held captive by Russian separatists in Ukraine has passed away.
According to information his family has obtained from the Foreign Office, Paul Urey is thought to have passed away five days ago “due to disease.”
After being apprehended in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, he was accused of engaging in “mercenary activities.”
Mr. Urey, 45, and Dylan Healy, 22, a fellow British volunteer, were detained on April 25 at a checkpoint near the city of Zaporizhzhia in the southeast.
The DPR’s human rights ombudsman, Daria Morozova, said on social media that Mr. Urey had been afflicted with diabetes as well as respiratory, kidney, and cardiovascular problems.
She uttered: “Despite the seriousness of the alleged crime, Paul Urey received the necessary medical care thanks to our efforts. He did, however, pass suddenly on July 10 as a result of the diagnosis and stress.”
Linda Urey, Mr. Urey’s mother responded by writing online that she is “very distraught.” The Foreign Office is “urgently reviewing” the accusations, according to a Number 10 official, who also noted that “our thoughts are clear with his family and friends.”
After Mr. Healy and fellow Brit Andrew Hill were held by Kremlin forces in eastern Ukraine, the Foreign Office denounced the abuse of POWs.
After learning that Mr. Urey had been imprisoned in April; his daughters told Sky News that they were preparing for the worst.
They said that prior to learning of his abduction, they were unaware he was in Ukraine. Following his capture, Mr. Urey was displayed handcuffed on Russian television.
It is unknown if Mr. Urey was coerced into saying he wanted to travel to Ukraine to “see if it was as horrible as the news” during the interview.
While it was her son who was in the interview, Ms. Urey said that he was “not acting in his natural way.” She condemned the interview.
In the DPR, three more Britons who were caught while defending Ukraine together with a Moroccan guy were given death sentences for their mercenary work.
Only Russia, Syria, and North Korea recognize the DPR, a breakaway entity.
