Following the Wall Street Journal's report that billionaire Roman Abramovich had developed symptoms of poisoning, problems with the skin on his face and hands and redness in his eyes, a spokesman for the Russian oligarch confirms the information.
However, the person close to Abramovich stressed that it is not yet clear who targeted Abramovich and three other businessmen involved in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations who also fell victim to poisoning.
The Russian oligarch is reportedly in good health and the poisoning incident occurred a few weeks ago. It is noted, by well-informed sources, that Abramovich will continue talks with Ukrainian officials as part of efforts to end the war.
Associates of the businessman stress that Abramovich has participated in a series of meetings to give his assistance.
According to Western officials who reviewed the incident, it is still difficult to determine whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or by some kind of attack stemming from electromagnetic radiation.
Three people who attended the officials' meeting in Kiev on 3 and 4 March felt symptoms of chemical poisoning.
The Abramovich poisoning horror is also reported in the Guardian. According to Shaun Walker, the British newspaper's correspondent in central and eastern Europe, a source with direct knowledge stated that "Roman (referring to Roman Abramovich) lost his sight for several hours" and was hospitalized in Turkey.
As the Wall Street Journal report points out, Abramovich - who shuttles back and forth between Moscow, Lviv and other negotiating sites - as well as at least two senior members of the Ukrainian team developed symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tears and peeling skin on their faces and hands, according to witnesses.
They reportedly blamed Moscow, which they said wanted to sabotage talks to end the war. A person close to Roman Abramovich said it was unclear who had targeted the group.
The newspaper's report was heralded shortly before by the paper's UK correspondent Max Colchester, who tweeted the following:
To what Ukrainians attribute the poisoning
According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian side blamed the poisoning on hardliners in Moscow to sabotage talks to end the war. A person close to Abramovich said it was not clear who had targeted the group.
Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators, who include Crimean Tatar MP Rustem Umerov, are in better condition now and their lives are not in danger, according to the same reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky, who met with Abramovich, was not affected. Zelensky's spokesman said he had no information about suspected poisoning. Western experts who reviewed the incident said it was difficult to determine whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or by some kind of electromagnetic radiation attack.
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