KYIV — Roman Abramovich poisoned: explainer.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators were allegedly poisoned after eating chocolates and drinking water during informal peace talks last month.


According to The Wall Street Journal, Abramovich, Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov and another negotiator developed symptoms after a March 3 meeting in Kyiv. These included peeling skin on their faces and hands, red eyes and constant, painful watering.


According to a source cited by The Guardian, Abramovich also lost his sight for several hours after the incident.


The poison may have consisted of organophosphates, the base chemical in nerve agents, according to one former chemical weapons colonel cited by Marca, though investigative outlet Bellingcat said the poisoning occurred through an “undefined” chemical weapon, adding that initial symptoms abated the next morning.


Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is also known to have met with Abramovich, but was not affected, according to Bellingcat, and all of those involved have since recovered.


As to the motivation behind the attack, allies of the poisoned men blamed ‘hardliners’ in Moscow, who allegedly ‘wanted to sabotage talks to end the war,’ according to The Guardian.