Azovstal defender dies in captivity

One of the Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant from invading Russian troops has died in a prison in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, according to TASS. A source from the occupation administration who spoke to the agency claimed that the man died due to a combination of chronic health issues and “drug addiction.” The source did not reveal the man’s name.

On July 15, the Russian-backed occupation authorities in the “DNR” reported that a captured British citizen named Paul Urey, who served as an aid worker alongside Ukrainian troops, had died in captivity due to “illness and stress." In late July, over 50 Ukrainian POWs were killed by a missile strike on a prison camp in Olenivka in the Donetsk region.