A British aid worker has died after being detained by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
Paul Urey, 45, was accused of “mercenary activities” by Moscow-backed rebels in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), where the death penalty is imminent.
The father of two from Warrington had type 1 diabetes and needed daily insulin. DPR officials blamed his death on illness and stress.
His mother Linda had begged Kremlin-controlled troops to release her son, warning them that he was very ill.
“Why didn’t you release him?” she said, ‘I hate you all. I’m all smoking […] killers, that’s you.”
She revealed that Mr. Urey was adopted shortly after his birth, but that he managed to track down his mother later in life.
“He was taken from me at birth against my will and he was taken from me again,” she said.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned that Russia should take full responsibility for Mr Urey’s death. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has summoned the Russian Ambassador, Andrey Kelin, to express the UK’s deep concern.
“I am shocked by reports of the death of British aid worker Paul Urey while he was in the custody of a Russian proxy in Ukraine. Russia should take full responsibility for this,” said Ms Truss.
“He was in Ukraine to try and assist the Ukrainian people in the unprovoked Russian invasion. The Russian government and its accomplices continue to commit atrocities. Those responsible will be held accountable. My thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. Urey at this horrible time.”
Darya Morozova, a representative of the DPR, said Mr Urey suffered from diabetes and kidney and cardiovascular problems.
“British representatives even ignored the opportunity to negotiate his return as part of the prisoner exchange procedure. In addition, they did not make the necessary medical preparations through the Red Cross,” she claimed.
She added: “On our part, despite the seriousness of the alleged crime, Paul Urey received appropriate medical attention. However, given the diagnoses and stress, he passed away on July 10.”
Reports of Mr. Urey’s death were confirmed by Dominik Byrne, the founder of the Presidium Network, a volunteer organization working in Ukraine.
Although Mr. Urey worked as an independent volunteer in Ukraine, the presidency network had tried to help his family since his capture.
“We have been in contact with Mr Urey’s family this morning who have determined that Paul has died, although we are asking for further verification from Ukrainian authorities,” Byrne told The Telegraph.
He said he may not have access to adequate medication due to a shortage of insulin supplies in Russia.
During his imprisonment, Mr. Urey was allowed to speak to his family and had remote contact with the Red Cross, but was not seen by them personally.
“The fact is that the Russians do not allow direct health checks on patients whose medical condition was already known to them,” Mr Byrne said.
“We condemn the detention of all humanitarian volunteers,” he added. “And if they are taken into custody and treated as prisoners of war, we expect their welfare to be respected in accordance with the Geneva Convention.”
Urey was detained by the Russian army along with another Briton Dylan Healy (22) at the end of April. Healy faces the death penalty after being charged with being a mercenary in June.
The men were accused of being spies after being apprehended at a checkpoint while trying to evacuate a woman and two children from a fighting zone in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya region.
Urey appeared on Russian television on May 5 in handcuffs and laid what appeared to be a script statement in which he called the British government “corrupt”.
He said he had traveled to Ukraine to see if the “refugee crisis was really as bad as what they say on the news”. He said he had traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya in the past. His mother said she believed the statement was made under duress.
Urey faced the same charges as Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, two British military volunteers who were captured in Mariupol in April and sentenced to death by a court in Donetsk.