Russia-Ukraine War: The Wall Street Journal reported tonight (Monday) that the Russian-Israeli oligarch, Roman Abramovich, And some members of Ukraine’s negotiating team in talks with Russia suffered from symptoms of poisoning. This, after a meeting held earlier this month in Kiev.
According to anonymous sources, after Abramovich held talks in Kiev, including with the president Volodymyr Zlansky, He and at least two members of the Ukrainian team began to develop symptoms of red eyes, incessant and painful tears and peeling of the skin on the face and hands. However, since then their condition has improved and they are not in danger. Zalansky himself was not harmed and a spokesman said he had no information on suspicion of poisoning.
One of the members of the Ukrainian negotiating team that was allegedly poisoned was the Tatar legislature from the Crimean peninsula, Rustem Omrov. Omarov denied the publications. “I’m fine. This is my reaction to all the common yellow news,” he tweeted. “Do not believe any unverified information. We have an information war between us and them.”
The suspicion, the sources claimed, is that extremist elements in Russia are behind the alleged poisoning attempt in order to thwart efforts to end the war. A source close to Abramovich told the newspaper that it was not clear who was trying to harm the personalities. Sources added that experts in the West examined the incident and noted that it was not possible to determine whether these were symptoms caused due to exposure to a chemical or biological component or whether it was the result of an electromagnetic radiation attack.
Abramovich, who maintains close ties with both sides, played an active mediating role in the early stages of talks between Russia and Ukraine at the beginning of the war, including talks in Moscow, Kiev and Belviv, and even Zalansky persuaded the US administration not to impose sanctions on Abramovich. However, the Kremlin noted that after direct talks between the two countries’ teams began, the oligarch reduced his activities.
The investigative website Linkat reported that the alleged poisoning took place on the night of March 3 to 4 after Abramovich and another Russian businessman were dating Omarov. When they retired to an apartment in Kiev following the calls, the symptoms appeared and they did not go away until the morning. The next day, the crews traveled from Kiev to Levib on their way to Poland and Istanbul to continue talks.
Blinkat claimed that one of their men, Christo Grozev, had been asked to arrange a test by chemical weapons experts. Grozev, who was also involved in Alexei Navalny’s poisoning investigation, said a sample could not be collected in Lviv because team members rushed to Turkey and when German investigators conducted an investigation, the poison could no longer be identified. “It’s not meant to kill, but to send a warning,” Grozev concluded.
The Guardian’s correspondent, Sean Walker, added that a source aware of the details confirmed the reports and said that Abramovich “lost his sight for a few hours” and that he received treatment in Turkey.