Abramovich

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning earlier this month after a meeting in Kyiv, ...

The Kremlin has said Abramovich played an early role in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine but the process was now in the hands of the two sides' negotiating teams. The victims said they were not aware of who might have had an interest in an attack". A fourth member of the team who also consumed these items did not experience symptoms, it said. Ukrainian officials poured cold water on the report. Advertisement Advertisement

Russian billionaire and Rustem Umerov had symptoms consistent with poisoning earlier in March, says source.

The second round of talks in Belarus happened around the same time as the reported date of Abramovich’s first visit to Kyiv. Two days later, a member of the official Ukrainian negotiating team, Denys Kireev, was shot dead. Later, Ukraine’s military intelligence service said he was a hero who had been killed in the line of duty. Umerov wrote on Facebook that he was “fine”, and called on people not to trust “unverified information”. A US official cast further doubt on the account. We were looking for an alternative link to communicate our position to the very top,” Rodnyansky told the Guardian. A fourth member of the team who also consumed these did not experience symptoms,” wrote Bellingcat, which said one of its investigators had been asked to provide an opinion on the incident by chemical weapons specialists. They left Kyiv the next day, drove to Poland, and then flew to Istanbul.

The Chelsea FC owner - who has now recovered - reportedly suffered sore eyes and peeling skin. Two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also said to have been ...

But somebody, it seems, wanted to send a warning to those taking part in the peace talks. He reportedly met Mr Zelensky during the trip, but the Ukrainian leader was not affected and his spokesman had no information about the incident. Nobody else was affected by these very serious medical afflictions. The Kremlin has said Mr Abramovich played an early role in peace talks but the process was now in the hands of the two countries' negotiating teams. A source close to Mr Abramovich told the BBC he had now recovered and was continuing with negotiations to try and end the war in Ukraine. And later an official in the Ukrainian president's office, Ihor Zhovkva, told the BBC that while he hadn't spoken to Mr Abramovich, members of the Ukrainian delegation were "fine" and one had said the story was "false".

Chelsea FC owner temporarily lost eyesight and was hit by other symptoms along with two Ukrainian negotiators.