The distraught mother of a British humanitarian worker who died in captivity in Ukraine has slammed his “murderers,” claiming that separatists supported by Russia “let him die.”
An official in the self-declared People’s Republic of Donestk confirmed today that Paul Urey, 45, who was apprehended in the eastern Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia on April 25 and transferred to a prison camp, passed away on July 10 there.
His mother, Linda Urey, declared that she was “totally distraught” to learn of her son’s passing.
She then called rebel leaders “f***ing killers” and shouted, “I hate you all.”
She posted in a bitter Facebook message: “I told you he was a very sick man, I you he was diabetes. I begged you to return my son to me.
“Why did you allow him to perish? I need responses. Why did you not let him go?
“I despise you all. I’m so fuming and furious right now. extremely irate, very irate. You are murderers, that’s all. f***ing killers I despise you.
Mr. Urey’s death was revealed on Telegram today by Daria Morozova, the DPR’s “human rights ombudsman,” who claimed that he died of “sickness and stress.”
She claimed Urey had “insulin-dependent diabetes, kidney impairment, damage to the respiratory system, and a number of cardiovascular illnesses.”
While in custody, Morozova claimed he had proper medical care, but he eventually passed away from his ailments and “despondency” about his outcome.
In truth, detainees in the DPR claim that they were housed in contemporary concentration camps, where hunger, sickness, and beatings are prevalent.
Another relative, Jenny Urey, also paid respect to Mr. Urey online, calling him “a hero” and adding, “Paul is out of peril and secure now.”
Father-of-two Mr. Urey, who is originally from Warrington, went to Ukraine earlier this year to help the villagers without alerting his family.
He didn’t work for a charity when he was there and traveled independently, but he had made contact with the NGO Presidium Network.
In order to help spread the word about Mr. Urey’s capture, Dominik Bryne of the Presidium Network claimed that he had stopped replying on April 25 and that a woman he had been trying to help was also receiving “weird communications.”
He is said to have been apprehended alongside fellow Briton Dylan Healy, who had also been in touch with the organization, as the two attempted to pass through a Russian checkpoint.
Ten days after being apprehended, Mr. Urey made an appearance on Russian state television to criticize the UK government as “corrupt” and the British media for distorting the conflict.
Additionally, he claimed to have participated in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, although according to relatives, these claims were probably certainly made under duress.
After that interview, it became known that the DPR intended to try Urey in their kangaroo court on charges of being a foreign “mercenary.”
Russian separatists frequently claim that foreigners they have captured are “mercenaries,” which means that they are not protected by international law and are therefore subject to prosecution for crimes committed during hostilities.
Mr. Urey would have received a firing squad death sentence if found guilty.
The Coman daughters, Courtney and Chelsea, who are now ages 17 and 20, later told Sky News that they were “getting ready for the worst” and worried that their father “wouldn’t be coming home any time soon.”
The two said that they were unaware that Mr. Urey had traveled to Ukraine and that they believe he kept quiet out of fear that they would try to stop him.
We’re barely getting by right now. At the time, Courtney stated, “We really don’t know anything, like if he’ll be okay there, if he’s coming home or going back to Ukraine as a prisoner swap.
She said, “We just don’t know, so we’re preparing for the worse, but praying for the best,” before her sister weighed in.
Chelsea remarked: “It might appear selfish to others, but I do wonder why you went and did this.”
We have no idea what is going on, and we have no idea whether he is safe or where he is. More than anything, we’re upset.
Mother Linda also spoke out soon after Mr. Urey was apprehended, stating that he had left for Ukraine soon after the war started, had temporarily returned home in early April, and then had left again to continue his humanitarian efforts.
She claimed she ‘begged’ him to stay in the UK and lead a “boring life” there instead of going back, but he wouldn’t budge.
She said, referring to him as “too caring,” “I was on FaceTime with him up until 4am on Monday morning, and that was it – gone.”
She said, “Like I want to die, like I don’t know what to do any more,” when asked how she was feeling. I’m not sure. It is awful.”
For a response on Mr. Urey’s situation, MailOnline has gotten in touch with the Foreign Office.
They are undoubtedly alarming reports, and we naturally have his family and friends in our thoughts, according to a Downing Street spokesman.
‘We are urgently seeking clarification from the Russian government on media reports that a British aid worker has died in Ukraine,’ the Foreign Office spokesperson continued.
His passing comes amid concerns for the safety of Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, two additional Britons who are being held in the DPR and who have been given death sentences for working as “mercenaries.”
In the besieged city of Mariupol, the two were apprehended in April while fighting for Ukraine against Russia. In May, they received the death penalty.
Although Denis Pushilin, the self-declared leader of the DPR, has already stated that he sees no reason to grant a pardon and earlier this week claimed that a “execution site” is being prepared for them, they are appealing the sentence.
The two men will be executed by firing squad if the verdict stands.
Both Mr. Aslin and Mr. Pinner were fighting for Russia, but they were doing so as members of the Ukrainian regular army because they had moved there in 2016, married Ukrainian women, and enlisted in the military not long after.
They should therefore be protected from prosecution for fighting by international law as prisoners of war.
The death of Mr. Urey will increase concerns for the safety of a number of other Britons held in eastern Ukraine, including Mr. Healy and Andrew Hill, a British Army veteran from Plymouth and father of four who was also taken prisoner in April in Mykolaiv.
Mr. Hill is believed to have fought for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion after visiting the nation as an aid worker before deciding to enlist.
He has appeared on Russian state media a number of times – including in April when he was filmed with a bandaged left arm, a makeshift bandage around his head, and blood on his right arm.