Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich Suffers Poisoning Symptoms After Attending Ukraine Peace Negotiation

During peace negotiations in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, it was reported that the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich became ill at the same time as two Ukraine negotiators, and some theorize the symptoms were part of a chemical attack to halt talks. Abramovich and the two other victims have all since recovered.

Abramovich and the unnamed Ukrainians suffered from red and teary eyes, and peeling skin on their faces and hands after a March 3 meeting. Abramovich also allegedly lost his sight for several hours after his first symptoms came up.

The billionaire, who owns the football team Chelsea, has been involved in peace negotiations after leaving the U.K. after getting hit with sanctions from the country and the E.U. Abramovich was accused of being a “pro-Kremlin oligarch” by sanction documents, which allege that he has been assisting the Russian military by supplying steel for their tanks with a steel company he recently gained control of.

Abramovich has likely been participating in these peace talks to rehabilitate his image as a crony for Russian President Vladimir Putin. An advisor to the Ukraine presidential administration, Mykhalio Podoliak, said that theories of his poisoning are just “speculation.”

It has been theorized that the attack was not supposed to be deadly, but simply “scare” the victims. It is also not clear how they could have been poisoned, as all three of the people who were ill apparently didn’t consume anything except chocolate and water for hours before the symptoms flared up.