Ukrainian militants report death of UK aid worker

Last updated on September 16th, 2022 at 10:53 am

It was announced on Friday by a separatist leader and a charity in the United Kingdom that a British humanitarian worker who had been held captive by pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine had passed away while in captivity.

In order to get an explanation for what happened, the British government called in the Russian ambassador to London.

The human rights ombudswoman for the Moscow-backed separatist leadership in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Daria Morozova, stated on Sunday that a British “mercenary” by the name of Paul Urey had passed away while being held captive by the separatists. She stated that he had passed away due to a combination of chronic ailments and stress.

The Presidium Network, a charity that provides assistance, reported that Urey’s family had been informed of his passing by British authorities.

“To express the United Kingdom’s deep concern,” the British Foreign Office stated that it has called in Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin for a meeting.

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The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Liz Truss, expressed her “horror” at the claims that a British humanitarian worker named Paul Urey had died while in the custody of a Russian proxy in Ukraine.

She stated that Russia ought to take “full responsibility for this”

Urey, 45, was arrested in April at a checkpoint close to Zaporizhzhia, which is located approximately 470 kilometers (290 miles) southeast of Kyiv. Another British man named Dylan Healy was also arrested at the same checkpoint. The two men had been helping to evacuate civilians from the conflict zone while acting independently in the conflict zone.

Dominik Byrne, who helped develop the Presidium Network along with his business partner, revealed that Urey suffered from diabetes and required a consistent supply of insulin.

“It’s obvious that his welfare was not looked after. The Russian authorities and the Donetsk People’s Republic knew he had need of insulin, but all the way through this, the Red Cross has been denied welfare access to him and has never been able to verify his actual conditions in prison.” Byrne said in a statement.

Byrne stated that “multiple agencies,” which included the government of the United Kingdom and the Red Cross, had attempted, but failed, to arrange Urey’s release.

“We are formally calling for his captors to release his body and help us repatriate it back to the U.K. for his family. We really feel that is of ultimate importance and the least they can do at this stage,” he added to his statement.