Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was poisoned along with Ukrainian peace negotiators, according to media reports.

Abramovich and the negotiators, who include Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov, experienced symptoms of possible poisoning following a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier this month. 

The Putin ally, who has traveled to negotiating venues of Lviv and Moscow, as well as two senior Ukrainian negotiators, had reportedly developed symptoms such as red eyes, consistent eye pain and tearing, and peeling skin on their hands and faces.  

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According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the suspected poisoning attack was orchestrated by Moscow’s hardliners who stated that they wanted to sabotage talks about bringing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

People close to the Russian oligarch have said that since the suspected poisoning, none of the victims have experienced a life-threatening health condition.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Abramovich, did not fall victim to any kind of poisoning.

Bellingcat, an investigative media group, said that the attack took place on the night of March 3 to 4. 

“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 victims was Russian entrepreneur Roman Abramovich,” Bellingcat wrote on Twitter.

The incident has begun to raise serious safety concerns over the continuation of peace talks. Several people fear a similar attack on Ukraine’s president. 

In the past, Russia has been strongly accused of poisoning those who dared to oppose the Kremlin, including the death of Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, the life-threatening poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and the Novichok incident in Salisbury.