Emergency workers at the site of houses damaged by a missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters
Emergency workers at the site of houses damaged by a missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters
Emergency workers at the site of houses damaged by a missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters
Emergency workers at the site of houses damaged by a missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters

Two British aid workers feared captured by Russian forces


Tim Stickings
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Two British aid workers are believed to have been captured by Russian forces in Ukraine, according to a humanitarian group that had been in contact with them.

The non-profit Presidium Network said the two volunteers, whom it named as Paul Urey and Dylan Healey, were last heard from on Monday.

It said a family they were helping in southern Ukraine had since been interrogated by Russian forces, who claimed that the two British men were spies.

Dominik Byrne, a co-founder of Presidium, said it was very likely that the aid workers had been captured after trying to help the family out of the city of Zaporizhzhia, the site of Russian attacks during the two-month invasion.

The UK government said it was urgently seeking more information about the two people. The news came a day after it was announced a British citizen, Scott Sibley, was killed in Ukraine and a second person had been reported missing.

Russia separately released a video on Friday showing a bandaged man identified as Andrew Hill, who spoke with a British accent, purporting to identify himself as a foreign mercenary. British soldiers Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin were earlier paraded on Russian state television.

Cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, speaking for the government on morning television, said the UK was working with local authorities to help British citizens in Ukraine but that people were advised against travelling to the country.

Mr Byrne told BBC Breakfast that the two volunteers were not working directly for Presidium but that he had been trying to bring them into the fold because he was worried for their safety.

He said the group had seen text messages indicating that the volunteers were helping a woman and her two children to escape from Zaporizhzhia into territory farther south, which is occupied by Russia.

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    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi shake hands as they meet in Kyiv. AP
  • Floodwater edges towards homes in the small Ukrainian town of Demydiv. AFP
    Floodwater edges towards homes in the small Ukrainian town of Demydiv. AFP
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    Lila stands inside her apartment after a missile strike damaged a residential building in Dobropillia, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Reuters
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    Residents board-up windows of a damaged apartment building with plywood after Russian shelling in Dobropillya, Donetsk region. AP
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    A police officer distributes humanitarian aid to people in Lyman, Donetsk. AP
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    Ukrainian soldiers near Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
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    A Ukrainian soldier receives medical treatment as he and others rest after fighting on the front line for two months near Kramatorsk. AFP
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    Exhausted Ukrainian soldiers arrive at an abandoned building to rest and for medical treatment after fighting on the front line near Kramatorsk. AFP
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    Ukrainians attend a solemn religious service to commemorate the fallen in the Russian occupation in Zdvyzhivka, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
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    Women cry as they take part in a rally demanding international leaders organise a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of Mariupol, the besieged Ukrainian city where thousands are trapped. Reuters
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    Angelina Jolie, Hollywood movie star and UNHCR goodwill ambassador, poses for photo with kids in Lviv, Ukraine. AP
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    Firefighters try to put out a blaze after an explosion in Kyiv as Russia mounts attacks across Ukraine. AP
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    A car parked under a tree in the partially abandoned town of Chernobyl. AP
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    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres leave a news conference in Kyiv. AP
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    Military aid bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. President Joe Biden has asked Congress to agree to $33 billion to bolster Ukraine's fight against Russia. AP
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    Members of the pro-Russia Donetsk People's Republic militia stand guard as civilians go to receive aid in Mariupol. AP
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    A destroyed building in the south-eastern city of Mariupol. AP
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    A Ukrainian girl with other civilians on a bus as they flee the violence in Slovyansk, in the Donetsk region. Reuters
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    A block of flats reduced to rubble in Mariupol. Reuters
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    Explosions in a village near the eastern city of Izium. Reuters
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    A car and piled sleepers in flames after shelling near Lyman station in Lyman, eastern Ukraine. AFP
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    Residents and members of the Ukrainian emergency services clear debris after a recent Russian rocket attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. EPA
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    The Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, where spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently said that Ukraine had either carried out the executions of civilians in Bucha itself or positioned the bodies so as to incriminate Russian forces. AFP
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    An aerial view of in a neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia on the 65th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP
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    Clean-up crews at the site of an explosion in Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia struck the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv shortly after a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. AP
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    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a joint news conference in Kyiv as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters
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    Russia struck Kyiv shortly after the meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. AP Photo
  • Volodymyr Tykhonov, 76, opens the door of his garage, which is riddled with bullet holes, in Zahaltsi, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Volodymyr Tykhonov, 76, opens the door of his garage, which is riddled with bullet holes, in Zahaltsi, Ukraine. Getty Images
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    President Zelenskyy welcomes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres before their meeting. Reuters
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    Iulia Shevchuk rests in a reception centre for displaced people in Dnipro, Ukraine. AP Photo
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    American 155 mm howitzers due to be being loaded on to a US Air Force plane to Ukraine. AFP
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    Smoke rises after an explosion at sunset in Kyiv. Getty Images
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    Ukrainian rescuers pull out a part of a rocket that remained after shelling in the eastern city of Kharkiv. EPA
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    Lyubov, 85, stands in front of a 19th century wooden church, damaged by rocket attack, in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. Reuters
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    Ukrainian servicemen on patrol in Luhanske village. EPA

Their correspondents lost contact with them on Monday morning, and that afternoon the woman who had escaped Zaporizhzhia received "strange text messages" that purported to be from one of the volunteers, but were not consistent with their previous texts.

"She got a text message saying that they're five minutes away," Mr Byrne said. "Two hours later, her house was stormed by Russian soldiers."

According to the woman's account, the Russian troops shouted at her and asked "why do you know those two British people? You shouldn't be talking to them, we think they're spies".

Presidium describes itself as a non-profit group that has previously offered help to people escaping Afghanistan and is now providing medical supplies and evacuation assistance in Ukraine.

The apparent capture comes amid escalating rhetoric between the UK and Russia. Almost 300 British MPs were this week sanctioned by Moscow, which previously banned Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other top officials from entering the country. Britain had previously sanctioned top Russian figures.

Russia also accused Britain of provoking attacks on its territory after Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said it was legitimate for Ukraine to strike Russian targets in self-defence.

The Russian Defence Ministry responded to that by threatening a "proportional response" if such attacks took place. Western officials said any such retaliation would be unlawful.

THE BIO

Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist

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Hobbies: his work  - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”

Other hobbies: football

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