Russian oligarch and former Chelsea FC president Roman Abramovich and several members of the Ukraine team in peace negotiations have been affected by symptoms of an alleged poisoning: eye irritation, with constant and painful weeping; and skin peeling on the face and hands. All this happened after a meeting in Kyiv, at the beginning of this month, to attempt to halt the Russian invasion. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Ukrainian negotiators involved in the talks with Russia have fully recovered and their lives are not in danger. Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who recently met with the former football club owner, has not been affected, according to his presidential office.
A source close to Abramovich said it was not clear who might have been to blame for the poisoning. However, the US newspaper quoted sources who connected the attack with the most radical wing of Russian power, which, they assert, was seeking to sabotage negotiations to end the war. Western experts studying the incident have said it is difficult to determine whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or by some sort of electromagnetic radiation attack. The Kremlin has not responded to a request for comment on the suspected poisoning sent to it.
The Russian oligarch has seen his assets frozen - with a process of disconnection from the Chelsea club in process - and his name blacklisted. In this context, Abramovich took a step forward and tried to mediate between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin. According to The Times, the magnate met with Putin's refusal to engage in dialogue. "Tell him I'm going to crush them," the Russian president said. Abramovich travelled to Moscow to give Putin a proposal handwritten by Zelensky that set out Ukraine's conditions for signing a peace deal. According to the British newspaper, this peace proposal from the Ukrainian president was not well received by Russia. Now, Putin has threatened to crush Ukraine as preparations are made for the resumption of talks between the two countries. Abramovich's role as a mediator, however, might be recognized by other countries, as he has not received sanctions from countries such as the United States. According to The Wall Street Journal, Joe Biden asked that the Russian tycoon not be sanctioned due to his possible role as a mediator.
Abramovich leaves Chelsea
The sale of Chelsea FC has already entered the final stretch, according to UK press reports. Roman Abramovich has no choice but to auction off the shares of the club, due to the veto he has received because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and has been looking for a buyer for several weeks. And it seems that he has finally found one, reputedly ready to hand over about 3 billion euros. The identity of the new owner is still unknown.
Many rumours, however, suggest that it could turn out to be an Arab investment fund, which would allow stability for the project and continuity in player acquisitions. For the moment, coach Thomas Tuchel is very relaxed, as he is convinced that, whatever happens, he will continue to train at Stanford Bridge. However, the German manager has asked for a guarantee that the new owners will respect Chelsea's accord with a Barça footballer - one of their priority objectives for the summer market - Ronald Araujo.