Ukraine crisis: Roman Abramovich though he was going to die, ‘poisoned with chemical used in World War I’

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was most likely poisoned using a World War I chemical agent. The revelation came as it was revealed that the Chelsea soccer club owner asked, “Are we dying?”, after he was allegedly poisoned at peace talks in Ukraine. He was said to have feared for his life after going blind for hours, as skin peeled off his face and hands after attending the informal peace talks in Kyiv. Mr Abramovich and two senior Ukrainian negotiators fell ill after consuming water and chocolate during negotiations on March 3. Their symptoms were so severe that Mr Abramovich, who has been acting as an unofficial broker between Ukraine and Russia, reportedly asked a scientist who examined him: “Are we dying?” The oligarch, who was treated in a Turkish hospital, recovered and was seen at the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul this week. He is believed to have been the main target of the ploy potentially orchestrated by Russian hardliners hoping to derail efforts to end the month-long war. Christo Grozev, of investigative group Bellingcat, said experts agreed that the most likely source of the symptoms was the irritant Chloropicrin. He said other suggestions had included a low dose of Novichok – used in the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia in Salisbury. But he said the suspected the poisoning would ultimately remain a “big mystery” as the stricken group did not have definitive tests in time. Mr Grozev said his specialists reached their conclusions after communicating with the men, studying their photographs and carrying out personal examinations. “Chloropicrin is the agent giving nearly all of the detected symptoms,” he told Popular Politics YouTube channel. Chloropicrin, a fumigant now used in agriculture, was deployed in World War I as tear gas to devastating effect because it could bypass soldiers’ masks. It was stockpiled during the World War II and used in riot control but was later banned for military use. The irritant can cause vomiting, bronchitis, diarrhoea and severely affect the lungs, eyes and skin. It can be inhaled, ingested in food and water or absorbed through the skin. Mr Grozov said the three men “had almost identical symptoms – strong pain in the eyes, red spots around the eye, peeling skin”. He said the “only minus of the hypothesis” was that Chloropicrin usually has a strong smell. But one expert said it had likely been modified and made odourless. “Other suggestions even included a low dosage of Novichok, which could have led to these symptoms,” Mr Grozec said. The experts all agreed the incident was “not a coincidence, not food poisoning, not an allergy”. Mr Grozev called a US suggestion that it was caused by environmental factors “absurd and offensive” propaganda. Sources close to Mr Abramovich said the tycoon, whose late mother was born in Ukraine, is determined to continue trying to help end the war. He has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union over his close ties to the Kremlin but avoided penalties in Turkey and the US.