Russia State TV Targets 'Poisoned' Ukraine Negotiator With Spy Claims

The state-owned Russia24 news channel leveled new unproven claims at Ukrainian peace negotiator Rustem Umerov following reports that the member of parliament had been poisoned along with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Umerov and Abramovich—who has been acting as a mediator in the ongoing peace talks—suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning following a meeting in Kyiv on March 3.

Both men, WSJ wrote, suffered symptoms including red eyes, tearing, and peeling skin on the hands and face.

A source with knowledge of the incident told Newsweek on Tuesday that Umerov is "feeling ok" and is continuing his work as part of the negotiating team.

It remains unclear whether the negotiators were poisoned intentionally, and who—if anyone—was the target. Russian intelligence has a long history of poisoning political opponents, including in Ukraine. This meant suspicion immediately fell on Moscow.

As the reports were emerging, Russia24 ran a segment accusing Umerov of serving as an American spy and intentionally sabotaging efforts to end the fighting. One guest suggested, without evidence, that Umerov had received espionage training in the U.S.

"Umerov's aides are also quiet, seemingly adding intrigue to a well-played out script, whose authors we can easily deduce," the Russia24 host said in an apparent reference to the U.S.

Russia24 claimed the incident was an unsuccessful assassination attempt, either on Umerov or Abramovich. Umerov may have been targeted, the host suggested, as he allegedly witnessed the killing of former Ukrainian peace delegate Denis Kireev.

Kireev, a member of Ukraine's parliament, was killed by Ukrainian intelligence earlier this month amid suspicions he was working as a double agent on behalf of Moscow.

"Another scenario, voiced by some media outlets, is that Umerov was targeted because he allegedly was witness to the arrest and liquidation of another delegate, MP Kireev, who allegedly was preparing a coup against Zelensky," the Russia24 said.

Russian mediator Abramovich—who is close to President Vladimir Putin and has been sanctioned in retaliation for Russia's invasion—may also have been the target, Russia24 claimed.

"The goal: To prevent any potential agreements from being signed," the host said. "Looks like the owners of some of the Ukrainian leaders are willing to use whatever means to achieve that goal, even murdering the delegates."

The Kremlin dismissed the reports of its involvement in the suspected poisoning of Umerov and Abramovich as part of an "information war."

Mykhailo Podolyak, a top aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and also part of the peace negotiation team, downplayed the report. "There is a lot of speculation, various conspiracy theories," Podolyak said.

Umerov himself urged people not to trust "unverified information."

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said "everyone is thirsty for news and sensations" around the negotiations. However, he added: "I advise anyone going for negotiations with Russia not to eat or drink anything, [and] preferably avoid touching surfaces."

A U.S. intelligence official told Reuters they could not confirm that the incident was a result of poisoning. "The intelligence highly suggests this was environmental," they said, adding: "E.g., not poisoning."