Roman Abramovich, first owner of Chelsea FC, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salam were pivotal in the massive prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine this week, according to several media outlets.
Ukraine handed over 55 prisonersincluding pro-Russian leader and businessman Viktor Medvedtszhuk.
Russia, for its part, handed over 255 prisoners. It is said that most of them took part in a bloody battle over the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
In addition, there were eight foreigners, many of whom were sentenced to death in the “People’s Republic” in Donetsk.
British prisoner John Harding (59 years old) narrates according to daily Mail That Roman Abramovich participated in the negotiations. Bloomberg He writes that they have confirmation from three people about Abramovich’s role in the exchange.
Among those released are Aiden Aslin and Sean Penner – watch the video:
Did not mention
to me Bloomberg Abramovich and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Riyadh in late August as part of the talks that led to the prisoner exchange.
The major Russian media controlled by the Kremlin did not mention that the Abramovich oligarch was involved in the negotiations for unknown reasons.
Neither Abramovich’s spokesman nor the Saudi government would comment on the matter to Bloomberg.
On the other hand, the fact is that the prisoner exchange has been criticized by the far right in Russian politics. The brave Igor Girkin, who believes that the Kremlin is not tough enough in Ukraine, wrote on Telegram that the prisoner exchange was “unbelievable stupidity.”
He believes that exchanging foreign fighters is “worse than a crime”. Girkin thinks it is particularly inappropriate to do something like this in the same week that Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization.
had to sell
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry already thanked Crown Prince Salman on Thursday for his “important role” in negotiating the release of foreign fighters, who were specifically transferred to the Saudi capital of Riyadh after their release.
Roman Abramovich participated in peace talks this spring, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Joe Biden not to impose sanctions on Abramovich – because he could be someone useful in the negotiations.
However, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on Abramovich. This means that he had to sell the Chelsea football club. In late May, the Premier League agreed to sell from the Russian, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, to American businessman Todd Boehle and a consortium. Its price was 4.25 billion pounds, which is equivalent to nearly 50 billion crowns at today’s exchange rate.
with grain agreement
Abramovich promised to donate the proceeds to a foundation for the benefit of the victims of the war in Ukraine. However, the funds were frozen, according to Bloomberg.
The Financial Times wrote this spring that Putin had personally agreed that Abramovich could be a bridge between nations. The billionaire did not cut ties with the Russian president. For some time, Abramovich sat in the upper house of parliament after he was the ruler of the region called Chukotka, which is located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, in the so-called “Far East” of Russia.
Pictures from the negotiations in Istanbul showed that Roman Abramovich was also involved in negotiating the so-called grain agreement in July. It meant that grain could finally be exported from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.
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