.jpg){kind=link}
There is a lot of speculation going on right now about whether or not Russian oligarchs have been poisoned.
Some people are saying that this could be the start of a new Cold War, and others are saying that this is just a ploy by the Russian government to distract from their internal problems.
No one knows for sure what is going on, but one thing is for sure: this story is grabbing attention!
Have Russian Oligarchs Been Poisoned?
According to an allegation first reported on Monday, 28 March 2022, a Russian oligarch and at least two senior members of Ukraine’s negotiating team were allegedly poisoned during peace negotiations earlier that month.
The Wall Street Journal reported on 28 March 2022, citing people familiar with the matter, that Abramovich and at least two senior members of Ukraine’s negotiating team had developed symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv, including red eyes, constant and painful tearing and peeling skin on their faces and hands.
The other negotiators, including Ukrainian officials and Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov, and Abramovich, who is purportedly acting as a go-between between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, escaped the apparent attack and are doing well.
The Journal’s account was corroborated by Bellingcat, an open-source investigative news source, which claimed that the suspected poisoning took place during negotiations on March 3 and 4.
Three negotiators, including Umerov and Abramovich, held a meeting that afternoon, but as their symptoms started to manifest later that night, they withdrew to an apartment in Kyiv. According to Bellingcat, they had just had chocolate and water in the hour before being sick.
According to Bellingcat, the specialists it consulted assessed that the dose and type of toxin were probably too low to cause life-threatening harm, and were more likely meant to frighten the men than to injure them permanently.
While peace discussions were scheduled to restart in Turkey on Tuesday, news of the alleged poisoning of the officials and Abramovich, who has been the target of international sanctions and is now broke after being forced to sell his Chelsea football team.
Zelenskyy promised Putin considerable concessions in exchange for an end to the disastrous month-long conflict.
Zelenskyy said that if Putin withdraws his forces from Ukraine, he would consider remaining neutral, staying out of NATO, and offering Moscow security guarantees in an interview with Russian media on Sunday that the Kremlin eventually opted to censor. Even as a relentless aircraft bombardment continues to wreak havoc across the nation, Russia’s invasion has stalled.
Even as their effort stalls and international sanctions strain Russia’s economy, the Kremlin has not shown any clear indications that it will take the off-ramp.
As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected Zelenskyy’s request for a meeting with Putin on Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there had been no substantial progress or breakthrough so far.
According to the Washington Post, Lavrov told Serbian media that meeting and just exchanging opinions would be unproductive at this time.
Hopes for progress in the negotiations this week have been dashed by Russia’s stance, which has also raised worries that Putin is now attempting to divide Ukraine.
According to Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, “the occupiers will try to pull the occupied territories into a single quasi-state structure and pit it against independent Ukraine” (AP, 27 March 2022). On Sunday, Zelenskyy reiterated his demands on the West to provide more assistance.
In a video address reported by AP on 27 March 2022, Zelensky praised the defenders of besieged Mariupol: “If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1% of their courage.”
On 27 March, Zelensky gave a 90-minute interview to four Russian journalists, in which he called on Russians to “support the truth.” Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulator, promptly told Russian outlets not to publish it. In a video response, Zelensky said the ban “would be ridiculous if it wasn’t so tragic,” The Washington Post reported.
Articles You Might Enjoy Reading
Why Do Russian Oligarchs Call For Peace?