Bellingcat can confirm that three members of the delegation attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on the night of 3 to 4 March 2022 experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons. One of victims was Russian entrepreneur Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich, along with another Russian entrepreneur, had taken part in the negotiations alongside Ukraine’s MP Rustem Umerov. The negotiation round on the afternoon of 3 March took place on Ukrainian territory, and lasted until about 10 pm.
Three members of the negotiating team retreated to an apartment in Kyiv later that night and felt initial symptoms - including eye and skin inflammation and piercing pain in the eyes - later that night. The symptoms did not abate until the morning.
The next day the group of negotiators drove from Kyiv to Lviv on the way to Poland and then Istanbul, to continue informal negotiations with the Russian side. A Bellingcat investigator was asked to help provide an examination by chemical weapons specialists.
Based on remote and on-site examinations, the experts concluded that the symptoms are most likely the result of international poisoning with an undefined chemical weapon.
An alternative less likely hypothesis was use of microwave irradiation. The symptoms gradually subsided in the course of the following week.
The three men experiencing the symptoms consumed only chocolate and water in the hours before the symptoms appeared. A fourth member of the team who also consumed these did not experience symptoms.
That's intentional poisoning, not international.
According to two consulted CW experts and a doctor, the symptoms were most consistent with variants of porphyrin, organophosphates, or bicyclic substances. A definitive determination was not possible due to the absence of specialized laboratory equipment near the victims.
The experts said the dosage and type of toxin used was likely insufficient to cause life-threatening damage, and most likely was intended to scare the victims as opposed to cause permanent damage. The victims said they were not aware of who might have had an interest in an attack
Bellingcat chose not to report this story earlier due to concern about the safety of the victims. Given the choice of the targeted individuals to speak up, Bellingcat and its investigative partner @the_ins_ru intend to publish an investigation into the presumed poisonings.
NEW: Bellingcat’s @Emythat geolocates strikes carried out in Rafah after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan. bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/1…
On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a date had been set for a large-scale Israeli military offensive in Rafah, despite there being approximately 1.5 million people taking refuge in Rafah, following previous orders to evacuate the North of Gaza.
Israel’s top military spokesman Daniel Hagari has said Israel has plans to evacuate Rafah, but US officials have said they are sceptical about such plans and US President Joe Biden has urged against the offensive. cnn.com/2024/04/01/pol…
Exclusive: Today, our reporting on wanted narco boss Christopher Kinahan Sr. continues as we reveal with @ST__Ireland that the Irish Cartel boss’ Google Reviews also exposed others he travelled with, dined with and interacted with bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/0…
Last week, Bellingcat and the Sunday Times reported that Kinahan Sr. had left a detailed log of his movements by posting Google reviews for a variety of plush and swanky establishments. bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/3…
Exclusive: Wanted narco boss, Christopher Kinahan Sr, has exposed his movements and whereabouts by leaving hundreds of online reviews for hotels, restaurants and luxury shops, an investigation by Bellingcat and @ST__Ireland finds: bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/3…
Kinahan Sr. is the head of the notorious Kinahan Cartel. Irish police believe the organisation has amassed profits of over $1 billion through the trade of illegal narcotics, arms trafficking and money laundering while Europol have linked the gang to multiple murders.
The US Government is offering a collective $15 million bounty for information leading to the financial disruption or arrest of Kinahan and his two sons, Daniel and Christopher Jr. All three are reported to be based in Dubai.
A video titled ‘Want to know where Ammon Bundy is?’ provided just enough clues for Michael Lee (a member of our Discord community) to locate the anti-government US militant, who has been in hiding since a warrant was issued for his arrest. bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/2…
In 2023, Bundy was ordered by an Idaho court to pay more than 50 million dollars in damages after accusing the state’s largest hospital of child trafficking and leading a campaign of harassment against its staff. huffpost.com/entry/ammon-bu…
Later, the court of Idaho filed an arrest warrant against Bundy after he failed to appear for the trial concerning his earlier contempt charge. Ammon Bundy disappeared from the public eye after. Rumours suggest that he left the state. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
The Bellingcat team is really keen to share and teach you our investigative methods, so open source research techniques can be used for effective reporting everywhere. There's a few ways you can learn from us...
1. Join a training! The best way to learn is to spend a good few days with our researchers. We'll be on hand to guide you through each research step. Find all upcoming workshops here: bellingcat.com/workshops/
2. Read our guides- On our website we regularly post resource guides to help you navigate new research tools or techniques. You can find our full list here: bellingcat.com/category/resou…
In times of conflict, open source tools can be useful to monitor an area otherwise restricted to journalists. In our latest article, we pinpoint how signs of deforestation from satellite imagery show the scale of the humanitarian crisis ongoing in Gaza. bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/1…
In contrast to the deforestation of necessity caused by civilian activities like the collection of food and fuel, the Israeli military is deforesting Gaza and destroying agricultural land as part of its ongoing incursion.
Israeli Officials have announced that their plans include the creation of a “buffer zone” on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip that will be “more than double” its pre-October 7th size. washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/…