RUSSIAN oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainians suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after meeting in Kyiv earlier this month.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, and backed up by Bellingcat, the Chelsea FC owner and two negotiators developed red eyes, constant and painful tearing and peeling skin on their hands and faces after the meeting in the capital.

The newspaper cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying the group suffered the symptoms, and are blaming it on Russian hard-liners who were against the talks to end the war.

Someone close to Roman Abramovich said it was unclear who had targeted the group. 

The Chelsea FC owner, who is in the middle of trying to sell the club, and the two Ukrainian officials have now recovered, the report said, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met Mr Abramovich, was  unaffected.

Western experts who looked into the incident said it was hard to determine whether the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent or by some sort of electromagnetic-radiation attack, the people familiar with the matter said.

The Kremlin has yet to respond to the claims.