Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich was treated in Turkey after a suspected poisoning earlier this month.
Abramovich has suffered a suspected poisoning along with Ukraine peace negotiators earlier this month that caused the skin to peel off their faces and temporary blindness, sources said.
A representative for Abramovich confirmed earlier today the oligarch had suffered the reported symptoms but refused to give any further details.
The Chelsea FC owner was allegedly poisoned just weeks ago after a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv whilst he acted as a peacemaker in the Russian war in Ukraine, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Following the meeting in Kyiv on March 3, Abramovich as well as two senior members of the Ukrainian team developed symptoms that included red eyes, painful streaming eyes as well as peeling skin on their faces and hands, sources told the newspaper.
Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also ‘went blind for several hours’ and was treated at a hospital in Turkey, a source told The Guardian.
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Analysts at investigative news site Bellingcat confirmed that three members of the delegation – including Abramovich – attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on March 3 experienced ‘symptoms consistent with poisoning with
chemical weapons.’
Meanwhile, Shaun Walker of the Guardian said: “A source with direct knowledge has just confirmed to me the WSJ/Bellingcat reports that Abramovich suffered symptoms of poisoning. ‘Roman lost his sight for several hours’ and was treated in Turkey, the source said.”
Abramovich, another Russian entrepreneur and Ukrainian MP, Rustem Umerov, had been taking part in the negotiations, with the talks lasting until about 10pm according to Bellingcat.
Bellingcat investigator, Christo Grozev, who was part of the team that concluded the Kremlin had poisoned Russian politician, Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent in 2020, said he had seen the effects of the poisoning on Abramovich and the other negotiators.
“It was not intended to kill, it was just a warning,” Grozev said.
