After a month and a half of negotiations, Russia returned the body of the British volunteer Paul Ury to Ukraine. According to Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets, the body was returned with numerous wounds and signs of torture.
“Missing body parts, multiple cuts and signs of torture: Russia returned the body of British volunteer Paul Ury. After more than 1.5 months of negotiations, the Russian Federation returned the body of a tortured British volunteer who was illegally held temporarily hostage in occupied Donetsk from April to July 2022 through proxy state formations – the so-called "DPR" – writes Lubinets.
According to him, he saw photographs of the body, and they clearly show that the man was killed, and did not die “as a result of illness and stress,” as the “DPR” authorities claimed.
“I can say that the death was violent. A person simply can not stand such torment. I saw a photo of a dead body and whoever sees it has no doubts. The murder of volunteer Paul Ury by torture is a war crime that will be another piece of evidence at the tribunal of the Russian political and military leadership. Evidence during the trial against Putin.
The cause of Uri's death was "illness and stress," said DPR Ombudsman Daria Morozova.
Uri, along with another British volunteer, Dylan Healy, were detained in the Zaporozhye region at the end of April. They introduced themselves as volunteers of the non-governmental organization Presidium Network, which is engaged in the evacuation of people from conflict zones. Uri and Healy had to evacuate a woman with two children. They were heading towards Dniprorudny in the Zaporozhye region and were captured at a checkpoint.
Paul Ury from the English city of Warrington is described as a "family man with children" who "did not complete his military service" and decided to go into humanitarian work. He also had experience in Afghanistan where he spent 8 years as a civil contractor.
On June 9, the “DNR” sentenced to death three foreign mercenaries who took part in the war with Russia on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the “LDNR”. The British Aiden Eslin and Sean Pinner, as well as the Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, were sentenced to death. In this regard, the UK sent a note of protest to Russia.
