She said the 45-year-old died "due to illness and stress."

Morozova also said Urey suffered from diabetes, a claim that could not immediately be confirmed.

Urey's capture in April by anti-Kyiv forces in the midst of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine that began in late February led to Russian television showing his interrogation in handcuffs.

Nongovernmental organizations and colleagues have described Urey as an aid volunteer.

The Russia-backed fighters have described him as a "professional" soldier and had accused him of "mercenary activities."

Urey's distraught daughters told Sky News in May that they were "preparing for the worst."

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British citizen and aid worker Paul Urey was captured by Russians in April this year in Donbas. Now Russian state media report he “died because of disease and stress” while being in captivity, and call him a “mercenary” of course.