Two Ukrainians who are part of the delegation of negotiations with Russia and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich showed symptoms of possible poisoning after a meeting in Kiev earlier this month. The information was released this Monday (28) by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
The symptoms included redness in the eyes, with constant pain and tearing, as well as peeling skin on the face and hands, according to the American vehicle. Everyone is doing well.
Experts who reviewed the case at the request of the Wall Street Journal said it was difficult to say whether the incident was caused by a chemical or biological agent or by some form of electromagnetic radiation attack.
People involved in the case accused the Russians of committing the alleged poisoning in an attempt to sabotage negotiations to end the war.
This Sunday (27), Russia and Ukraine announced a new round of negotiations in Turkey – meetings between the representatives of the two countries also took place in Belarus. Between virtual and face-to-face meetings, however, the conversations so far have progressed little, with both sides accusing each other of not cooperating.
Abramovich traveled to Kiev at the request of the Ukrainian government to help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal. Among the allegedly poisoned negotiators is deputy Rustem Umerov.
The Kremlin has not commented on the case, while Ukrainian officials sought to play down the case. One of the leading Kiev negotiators Mikhailo Podoliak classified the information as speculation that would fall into the field of conspiracy theories. Umerov himself asked not to trust “unverified information”.
Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba used irony in an interview with Ukrainian TV, saying that he advises anyone going to talks with Russia “not to eat or drink anything and preferably avoid touching surfaces”.
The Russian government has already been accused of poisoning opponents on other occasions, including Alexei Navalni, the main name in the opposition to Vladimir Putin. In 2018, the British government accused Moscow of poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The Kremlin denies it.
Vladimir Putin has prospered in power in recent years with the support of a large part of the country’s billionaire oligarchs. With the war, this group became one of the main targets of sanctions in the West, as a way of indirectly hitting the president and trying to destabilize the balance of forces in the country.
Abramovich became better known outside Russia, especially after deciding to buy the English football club Chelsea in 2003. The acquisition marked a new stage not only in the club’s history, but also in the Premier League, the national championship.
Before the Russian money arrived, the blue team had only one tournament title, a few cups and no major international trophies. With Abramovich, Chelsea won the Premier League five times, won the Champions League twice and the FIFA Club World Cup once.
In the new era of English football inaugurated by Abramovich, clubs had their control taken over by investment funds with foreign money, including those linked to governments in countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, accused of disrespecting human rights.
After the war in Ukraine, Abramovich also suffered sanctions through football. He lost authorization from the local league to act as director of Chelsea, which he saw had his accounts blocked. He is currently trying to sell the club.
