A spokesman for Abramovich confirmed that he had been poisoned

LAST UPDATE 20:26

A spokesman for Roman Abramovich confirmed to the BBC a Wall Street Journal report that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators believe they were poisoned in informal peace talks in Kyiv in early March.

According to the research site bellingcat, which published the news in parallel with the WSJ, the incident happened on the night between March 3 and 4, during the meeting of delegations from Kiev and Moscow for peace talks.

Bellingcat can confirm that three members of the delegation attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on the night of 3 to 4 March 2022 experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons. One of the victims was Russian entrepreneur Roman Abramovich. https://t.co/DJaZ4CoL8J

– Bellingcat (@bellingcat) March 28, 2022

It is noted that until now it was not known that Roman Abramovich was involved in such talks.

According to the Guardian, which also cites a person with knowledge of the matter, Abramovich “lost his sight for several hours” and was later given medical treatment in Turkey, along with a Ukrainian MP.

Abramovich then recovered and returned to Kyiv, where he participated in the next round of talks, according to a Guardian source.

According to Bellingcat, “the three men who showed symptoms had only consumed chocolate and water before the symptoms manifested. A fourth man, a member of the group who also consumed the same, had no symptoms.”

Earlier, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that after the meeting in the Ukrainian capital, Mr. Abramovich and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian delegation showed symptoms such as red eyes, persistent and painful tearing and peeling of the skin on the face and their hands.

They themselves blamed the alleged attack on hardline Moscow officials who want to sabotage negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. A person close to Mr Abramovic, however, said it was not clear who had targeted the team.

In any case, the health of R. Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators has improved since then and their lives are not in danger.

It is noted that the President of Ukraine, V. Zelensky, who met with Abramovich, did not show any symptoms, according to WSJ sources.

The same sources also said that Western experts who examined the incident said that it was difficult to determine whether the symptoms were the result of contact with a chemical or biological agent or were caused by some kind of electromagnetic radiation.