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International media claims...: Abramovich poisoned during Ukraine peace talks?

30 Mar 2022

Extract from England’s ‘The Mail’ on the alleged poisoning incident yesterday (29) “Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators were the victims of a suspected poisoning attack at peace talks, it emerged last night,” said The Daily Mail yesterday (29). The reports further said the following:  “The Chelsea FC billionaire, who has been acting as an unofficial broker between warring Russia and Ukraine, was said to have ‘lost his sight for several hours’ after the incident. “According to sources familiar with the incident, the two were targeted in a chemical weapon attack by Moscow hard-liners seeking to sabotage their efforts to end the conflict. “Abramovich, along with another Russian entrepreneur, had taken part in the talks alongside Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov, 39, and an unnamed countryman. “The talks on 3 March concluded at around 10 p.m. with the men consuming only chocolate and water in the hour before their symptoms appeared back at their Kyiv apartment. The fourth delegate escaped unscathed.” Who is Roman Abramovich?
  • Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich, 55, is a Russian-Portuguese-Israeli businessman, philanthropist, oligarch, and politician
  • He is of Jewish origin
  • He is the primary owner of the private investment company, Millhouse Capital LLC
  • Millhouse Capital LLC is a diversified investment company founded by Abramovich in 2001 and is headquartered in London
  • Its reported total asset value is £ 357,800 billion (Rs. 138.4 quadrillion).
  • He is best known outside Russia as the owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club in England
  • Abramovich was formerly the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia from 2000-08
  • According to Forbes, Abramovich’s net worth in 2021 had been $ 14.5 billion (Rs. 5,610 billion)
  • That made him the second-richest person in Israel, the 11th-richest in Russia, and the richest person in Portugal – the three countries where he holds citizenship 
  • Abramovich is said to have enriched himself in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union (1988-91), obtaining Russian state-owned assets at prices far below market value in Russia’s controversial loans-for-shares privatisation programme
  • Abramovich is considered to have a close relationship with incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin
  • Abramovich is one of seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK Govt. over this year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • His assets have been frozen with a travel ban imposed too
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich  Russian oligarch and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich was the suspected victim of poisoning while trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month, according to multiple sources. The billionaire, who has recovered now, reportedly suffered from temporary blindness and peeling skin. Reports suggest that two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also affected by the incident. Incident due to ‘environmental’ factors? One source has claimed that hardliners in Russia, who did not want the peace talks to proceed, were behind the alleged poisoning incident, revealed Vimal Sankar of Inside the Games. However, an unnamed US official was quoted by Reuters as saying that the incident was due to “environmental” factors and not poisoning. Ukrainian official Ihor Zhovkva told BBC that the Ukrainian delegation was “fine” and that he had not spoken with Abramovich. Attempted poisoning with a chemical weapon According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the conditions of Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators, including MP Rustem Umerov, has improved since the incident occurred on 3 March. The Bellingcat has revealed that the poisoning attempt was “not intended to kill” and “was just a warning”. The investigative group had also claimed that the symptoms could be a result of attempted poisoning with a chemical weapon. Played crucial role in bringing World Cup to Russia Abramovich was recently sanctioned by the British Government and the European Union (EU) citing his allegedly close relationship with the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, forcing him to put Chelsea Football Club on sale. Abramovich played a crucial role in Russia winning the bid to host the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) or the International Federation of Association Football World Cup in 2018. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claims  The oligarch was also a member of Moscow’s delegation to Zurich, where FIFA awarded Russia the right to host the competition 12 years ago. While Abramovich’s position in the peace talks is not clear, a spokesperson close to the oligarch said that he has “limited” influence in the matter. On Sunday (27), Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Abramovich had offered his support to help destabilise the situation in Ukraine. Conspiracy theories Zelenskyy has reportedly asked the US to hold off from sanctioning Abramovich as he could play a key role in negotiations. However, a source close to the Ukrainian President has said that there are a “lot of speculations” and “conspiracy theories” surrounding Abramovich’s role in the peace negotiations. Abramovich in Israel Abramovich has since been spotted at Israel’s Tel Aviv airport on 14 March. The two sides were set for their first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks in Turkey yesterday (29).  


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