Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich Suspected To Have Suffered Poisoning At Talks In Kyiv

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Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich Suspected To Have Suffered Poisoning At Talks In Kyiv

The BBC is reporting that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning at talks in Kyiv earlier this month.

According to a spokesperson, the Chelsea FC owner – who has now recovered – reportedly suffered sore eyes and skin peeling.

Two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also reported to have been affected.

The Wall Street Journal reported claims the alleged poisoning was orchestrated by hardliners in Russia who wanted to sabotage the talks.

The conditions of Mr Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators, who include Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov, have improved since the incident on March 3, the paper quoted sources as saying.

The incident casts light on Mr Abramovich’s reported role as a broker in talks between Ukraine and Russia. The exact nature of his position is unclear, but a spokesperson for the oligarch has previously said his influence is “limited”.

On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Mr Abramovich had offered him help to de-escalate Russia’s invasion of the country.

The Russian billionaire travelled between Moscow and Kyiv for several rounds of talks at the start of the month. He reportedly met President Zelensky during the trip, but the Ukrainian leader was not affected and his spokesman had no information about the incident.

The investigative journalism group Bellingcat said Mr Abramovich and the negotiators suffered symptoms “consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons”.

The symptoms included “eye and skin inflammation and piercing pain in the eyes”, Bellingcat reported.

Meanwhile, an unnamed US official was quoted by Reuters as saying that intelligence suggested the sickening of the men was due to “environmental” factors, not poisoning.

Mr Abramovich has since been seen in public, being pictured at Israel’s Tel Aviv airport on March 14.

 

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