MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. British national Paul Urey, who died in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), was a mercenary, so he cannot enjoy the status of a combatant, DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova said on Friday.

"It looks like mercenary activities, i.e. he was unlikely seconded by the UK official authorities. So, he is a mercenary and it means he was a man, who, under the Geneva conventions, in particular under the additional protocol, did not enjoy the status of a combatant. Hence, he cannot be a prisoner of war, i.e. he cannot enjoy this status. He is to be convicted under the national legislation, i.e. laws of the Donetsk People’s Republic where he was captured by a conflicting party he was fighting against," she said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

Moreover, according to Nikonorova, Urey was not a mere mercenary, but "a man who recruited and trained mercenaries."

DPR human rights ombudswoman Darya Morozova said earlier that a British mercenary Paul Urey died of chronic diseases and depression in captivity in the DPR on July 10. His diagnoses included type 1 diabetes, respiratory system and kidney disorders, as well as cardiovascular diseases. In addition, he was depressed because of the UK’s indifference to his fate. Medical assistance was provided to him.

Morozova also said that the British authorities, international organizations and foreign media were informed about Urey’s imprisonment but no reaction followed from them.