Ukraine War: British aid worker Paul Urey’s daughter arrested in Ukraine prepares ‘for the worst’ | World News
The daughter of a British aid worker arrested in Ukraine has told Sky News they are “preparing for the worst”.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Courtney Coman, 17, and sister Chelsea, 20, said they did not believe their father would “come home anytime soon”, after being accused of being “mercenaries”. Russian government.
Paul Urey, 45 years old, is arrested at a checkpoint outside the Southeast city of Zaporizhzhia on April 25 with Dylan Healy, 22, a British volunteer.
These people work independently of aid organisations, and Mr. Urey’s daughters did not know he was in Ukraine until they learned of his arrest.
Courtney said: “We’re just dealing with it right now. We don’t really know anything, such as whether he’s okay there, going home or going back to Ukraine as a swap prisoner. change”.
“We just don’t know, so we’re preparing for the worst.
Courtney, left, and Chelsea say they feel helpless
“But hope for the best,” her sister added.
“That might seem selfish to other people but I actually feel a bit like ‘why would you go and do this?’,” Chelsea said.
“We don’t know what’s going on, you don’t know if he’s safe, you don’t know where he is. We’re sadder than anything.”
Courtney believes their father didn’t tell them where he was going because “we told him not to go, and then he would have to listen and not go.”
Mr. Urey was last active on WhatsApp two weeks ago
The last messages, exchanged between Courtney and her father via WhatsApp, were about her phone recharge and her getting a tattoo.
The messaging service said the last time Mr Urey’s phone logged into the app was on the morning of April 25, the day he was arrested.
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The girls have had no messages since then.
“It’s a feeling of helplessness, not being able to do anything,” Courtney said.
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UK aid worker arrested in Ukraine
“We are his children and we are struggling to get any information.”
Since Mr. Urey’s arrest, a video of him has been broadcast on Russian television.
In it, Mr. Urey, who is in handcuffs, says he went to Ukraine because he did not believe British media images of the Russian invasion.
But his daughters told Sky News they believe their father was forced to make these statements.
Mr. Urey with his daughters
“He would never say anything against his country, never,” Chelsea said.
“The video wasn’t something we wanted to see, but at the same time we’re glad we know he’s fine, that he’s alive.”
The UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was still trying to get information about Mr Urey and Mr Healy’s detention.
