Britain has expressed shock over the death of a British aid worker while in the custody of Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine and summoned the Russian ambassador to demand an explanation.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss responded on July 15 to reports that British citizen Paul Urey, who was captured by forces fighting against pro-Kyiv troops in Ukraine, died "due to illness and stress" while in detention.
"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," she said in a statement on Twitter. "Russia must bear the full responsibility for this."
She said Urey was captured while trying to help Ukrainians "in the face of the unprovoked Russian invasion."
A representative of a separatist group in Donetsk announced Urey's death earlier on July 15.
"He died on July 10," the representative, Darya Morozova, said on Telegram. The 45-year-old died "due to illness and stress," she added.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Separatist Leader Says Three Foreign Fighters Could Be Executed SecretlyMorozova also said Urey suffered from diabetes.
Urey was detained in April at a checkpoint near Zaporizhzhya along with another British man. They had been operating on their own in the war zone, helping to evacuate civilians.
The Russia-backed fighters described Urey as a "professional" soldier and accused him of "mercenary activities."
Dominik Byrne, co-founder of the charity group Presidium Network, said the Russia-backed separatists in the Donetsk region knew Urey needed a regular supply of insulin to treat his diabetes.
“It’s obvious that his welfare was not looked after,” Byrne said.
The Russian authorities and the separatists denied the Red Cross access to him and the aid group was never able to verify his actual conditions in prison.
Byrne said the Red Cross and other agencies along with the British government tried in vain to secure 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,” he said. “We really feel that is of ultimate importance and the least they can do at this stage.”
Urey's distraught daughters told Sky News in May that they were "preparing for the worst."
His mother, Linda Urey, said she was "absolutely devastated" to learn of her son's death.
In a message since deleted from Facebook, she accused the separatist leaders of being murders.
She indicated that she had informed her son's captors that he was diabetic.