Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, reportedly suffered suspected poisoning along with at least 2 other senior peace negotiators from Ukraine. The billionaire oligarch suffered pain in the eyes, and peeling skin on the hands and face, after a meeting in Kyiv earlier this month
Abramovich was acting as a mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Reportedly, the poisoning was orchestrated by hardliner Russians who wanted to sabotage the talks. Abramovich is reported to be fine now, and has recovered fully.
As per investigative journalism group Bellingcat, Abramovich and other Ukrainian negotiators developed the symptoms on the night between 3rd and 4th March. Abramovich and another Russian entrepreneur had held discussions with Ukraine MP Rustem Umerov during the peace negotiations.
Bellingcat can confirm that three members of the delegation attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on the night of 3 to 4 March 2022 experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons. One of victims was Russian entrepreneur Roman Abramovich. https://t.co/DJaZ4CoL8J
— Bellingcat (@bellingcat) March 28, 2022
Bellingcat claims that after remote and on-site investigations, chemical weapons specialists concluded that the symptoms were result of poisoning with an undefined chemical weapon.
Based on remote and on-site examinations, the experts concluded that the symptoms are most likely the result of international poisoning with an undefined chemical weapon.
— Bellingcat (@bellingcat) March 28, 2022
Abramovich, along with several other Russian billionaires has been facing sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. He has been traveling frequently between Moscow and Kyiv during the past month to help with the negotiations between the two countries.
