Donetsk, Sep 9 — DAN. The body of British mercenary Paul Urey who died in the Donetsk People’s Republic on July 10 has been handed over to Ukraine, DPR ombudswoman Darya Morozova said.

“The body of the captured British mercenary Paul Urey, who died on July 10 of chronic illnesses in a Republic’s penitentiary, has been recently handed over to Ukraine, ” Morozova said. “Relatives can later take it home for burial.”

International organizations and British representatives in Ukraine were immediately notified about his death. The body has been kept in a Donetsk morgue for the past two months. A forensic examination was carried out after his death, she added.

Forensic Bureau experts said that Urey had died a natural death caused by serious chronic diseases of the respiratory system and kidneys and cardiovascular diseases.    No ante mortem injuries were found on the body. The examination was duly documented and confirmed with photos, the ombudswoman said.

The experts’ conclusion was made public, Morozova said.

“In this connection, the statements by Ukraine’s Verkhovnaya Rada (parliament) ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets alleging traces of torture on the body of Paul Urey look like provocation, ” she said. “One might assume that the new Ukrainian ombudsman, lacking sufficient medical knowledge, mistook postmortem changes for signs of torture. Such comments do no credit to him anyway. We strongly recommend the Ukrainian ombudsman to carefully think over each word and check information.”

British national Paul Urey who fought for Ukrainian armed formations, was captured by DPR militiamen in April as he was trying to drive past a DPR checkpoint. Investigators said that he had commanded military operations and recruited and trained mercenaries for Ukrainian armed formations. Before the Donbass war, he had participated in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Urey was a military professional.

The first medical check found that Urey had several chronic diseases. including insulin-dependent diabetes, deterioration to the respiratory system and kidneys and cardiovascular diseases.   According to Morozova, he was in a depressed psychological state due to indifference of his homeland to his fate. British representatives ignored even the opportunity to negotiate his return in a prisoner swap. Paul Urey died on July 10.*jk