The UK’s Foreign Office summoned Russian ambassador Andrey Kelin on Friday following reports that a British aid volunteer died in detention.
Paul Urey, 45, died due to illnesses and stress, according to Daria Morozova, the Ombudsman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)—a Russian-backed separatist region in Ukraine that’s recognised by Russia, Syria, and North Korea.
Urey was captured in April while trying to help evacuate a woman and two children. He was detained by the DPR and accused of being a mercenary—a crime punishable by death under the regime’s law.
In a statement issued following the reports, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “I am shocked to hear reports of the death of British aid worker Paul Urey while in the custody of a Russian proxy in Ukraine. Russia must bear the [sic] full responsibility for this….