According to reports, Abramovich, who was recently sanctioned by Western countries seeking to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, was traveling between Kyiv, Moscow and other negotiating sites.
A source familiar with the file confirmed to AFP the authenticity of this report, saying, “Unfortunately, what the Wall Street Journal reported has actually happened.”
After a meeting in the Ukrainian capital, Abramovich and two senior Ukrainian negotiators developed symptoms, including redness and pain in the eyes and peeling of the skin of the face and hands, according to the American newspaper.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, did not confirm the incident, instead advising that “only official information” should be pursued.
“All members of the negotiating team are working as usual today,” Podolyak said, adding, “There is a lot of speculation about information in the media and various conspiracy theories.”
The newspaper stated that it was not clear who was behind this attack, but the targets blamed militants in Moscow who are seeking to disrupt negotiations to end the war.
People indicated that the condition of Abramovich and the other negotiators has improved and that their lives are not in danger.
“The intent was not to kill, it was just a warning,” Christo Grosev of the investigative website Bellingcat told the newspaper after studying the incident.
Grosev, who concluded that Kremlin agents poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with nerve gas in 2020, saw pictures of the effect of the attack on Abramovich, but no samples were collected in time for forensic experts to reveal the type of poison.
Bellingcat said on Twitter that the three men who had symptoms “had only eaten chocolate and water in the hours before symptoms appeared.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday his government had received offers of support from Russian businessmen, including Abramovich, who is seeking to sell Chelsea Football Club and has a close relationship with Putin.
Zelensky told reporters that these Russian businessmen said they wanted to “do something” and “help” stop the escalation of Russian military operations in Ukraine that has killed thousands.
Zelensky did not mention the cases of poisoning, and according to the newspaper, the presidential spokesman had no information about this attack.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Zelensky asked US President Joe Biden to delay imposing sanctions on Abramovich, because the Russian billionaire could play a role in negotiating a peace deal with Moscow.
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