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Two British aid workers who have reportedly been captured by Russian forces in Ukraine have been named.
UK non-profit organisation Presidium Network said Paul Urey, 45, and Dylan Healy, 22, were captured on Monday.
They are understood to have been captured at a checkpoint south of the city of Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine.
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Mr Urey has been described as a “family man with children” who “didn’t make the army” so decided to work in the humanitarian sector and travels lots.
Mr Urey’s family said in a statement: “My family and I are extremely worried. We know Paul and his friend who are humanitarian aid volunteers in Ukraine have been captured by the Russians.
“He was out there on his own accord. We want everyone’s support to bring him home and pray he is safe.”
They said Mr Urey was Type 1 diabetic and needs insulin.
Meanwhile, Mr Healy was previously a kitchen manager at a hotel chain in the UK.
Presidium Network said the pair were working as volunteers and were known by the organisation but not linked to them.
It said the pair were working to evacuate a woman and two children from the region when they were captured at a Russian military checkpoint.
Mr Urey last contacted the Presidium Network at 4am. Since then, they have received messages from someone claiming to be the volunteer, but who was unable to provide personal details to confirm their identity.
Three hours after they were captured, the house of the woman who the pair were evacuating was stormed by Russian soldiers who made her husband lie on the floor and asked her how she “knew these British spies”.
Dominik Byrne, one of the founders of the Presidium Network, said: “Our concern for these individuals is that the Russians will paint them as British spies which is untrue. They are civilian volunteers.”
Earlier International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan told Sky News the Foreign Office was “doing all it can to support” them.
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It comes after a British army veteran was killed and another British man went missing after they were believed to have travelled to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces.
Scott Sibley, 36, was confirmed as the first British national to have died in the war.
Shaun Pinner was captured by Russian forces earlier this month
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Earlier this month, two British fighters, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, were captured by Moscow’s forces.
The pair have been held in Ukraine and appeared on Russian state TV. They asked to be swapped for Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian politician who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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