Report: Roman Abramovich & Ukrainian Negotiating Team Allegedly Poisoned in Kyiv by Russian Hardliners
Edited by: TJVNews.com
As Russian oligarchs continue to dominate the news cycle, it appears that one of the most publicized oligarchs, Roman Abramovich is once again in the headlines.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Abramovich and peace negotiators from Ukraine were allegedly poisoned subsequent to a Kyiv meeting earlier this month. The report indicated that this information was brought to their attention by those familiar with the matter.
Following the March 3rd meeting in Kyiv, the WSJ reported that Abramovich, along with Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov and another negotiator developed such symptoms as red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands, the sources told the publication.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, Abramovich has been making attempts to negotiate an end to the bloody conflict and has been traveling between Belarus, Moscow and other venues, according to the WSJ report.
The source also said that for several hours Abramovich was blinded and had trouble eating later one.
Sources claimed that Abramovich and the others were poisoned by Russian hardliners who want to sabotage ceasefire negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, the WSJ report stated. A source close to Abramovich, however, said that it was not clear who targeted the oligarch and the Ukrainian delegation.
Since the March 3rd incident, Abramovich and the others have seen their conditions improve and their lives are no longer in danger, according to the sources that provided the information to the WSJ.
The WSJ reported that the Russian government has used poisoning tactics in the past to target their perceived adversaries. In 2004, pro-Western Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned, leaving his face disfigured. Mr. Yushchenko, who became president after protests known as the Orange Revolution, blamed the attack on Russia, according to the WSJ report.
The UK pointed to Russia’s intelligence services network for a 2018 nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer who defected to the U.K., and his daughter Yulia, according to the WSJ report. They both survived as did a British police officer who was hospitalized after contact with the poison. A British woman later died after accidentally coming into contact with the nerve agent, as was reported by the WSJ. The Kremlin denied involvement in the Skirpal poisoning.
The JPost reported that a US official said on Monday that intelligence suggests the sickening of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators was due to an environmental factor, not poisoning.
The US official told Reuters: “The intelligence highly suggests this was environmental,” adding: “not poisoning.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to elaborate.
