Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was poisoned along with Ukrainian negotiators, according to the allegation. The Wall Street Journal reports that ally Vladimir Putin and owner of Chelsea FC – which has been sanctioned by the UK government – was struck by symptoms after a suspected poisoning at a meeting in Kyiv earlier this month. Abramovich, and at least two senior Ukrainian officials, are said to have peeled skin on their faces and hands, red eyes and persistent and painful tearing, the newspaper reported. Citing “people familiar with the matter”, he added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Abramovich, was not affected. The lives of the Chelsea owner and the peace negotiators are not considered to be in danger. Extensive reports had previously suggested that Russian forces were trying to assassinate Zelensky, but it was unclear what the alleged poisoning would be. Abramovich passed a handwritten note from Zelensky to Putin and acts as a mediator for the two leaders. The recent flights of Roman Abramovich Bellingcat can confirm that three members of the delegation that took part in the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on the night of March 3 to 4, 2022, showed symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning. One of the victims was Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. https://t.co/DJaZ4CoL8J – Bellingcat (@bellingcat) March 28, 2022 The incident is likely to raise serious security questions about the resumption of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and the involvement of President Zelensky. Russia has been widely accused of a series of poisonings around the world, including the Novichok incident in Salisbury, the death of Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko and the near-fatal poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Bellingcat media investigation team said the latest incident took place on the night of March 3 to 4, with three people showing “symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning”, including the Russian oligarch who became a negotiator. “Abramovich, along with another Russian businessman, took part in the talks with Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov,” he said on Twitter. “The round of negotiations on the afternoon of March 3 took place on Ukrainian territory and lasted until about 10 pm. Britain’s oldest “postman”, 98, delivers letters to residents of his care home “Three members of the negotiating team retired to an apartment in Kyiv later that night and experienced the initial symptoms – such as inflammation of the eyes and skin and penetrating pain in the eyes – later that night. “The symptoms did not go away until the morning.” A spokesman for President Zelensky said he had no information about any suspected poisoning, according to the WSJ. He cited Western experts who said it was difficult to confirm whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or by an electromagnetic radiation attack. Bellingcat claimed that the most probable cause of the symptoms was an “international poisoning with an unspecified chemical weapon”, adding that “microwave radiation” was another possible theory.
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