Russian oligarch Abramovych brings in new people to help in talks with Ukraine
Since March 2022, negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv have been reduced to an exchange of prisoners and rare informal contacts. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich participates in them, but recently a number of other figures have joined the process of contacts between Ukraine and Russia, reports Meduza, citing its sources.
According to the publication, another person from Abramovich's circle has recently joined the negotiation process - the former head of the Moscow Department of Culture Sergey Kapkov. The oligarch involved Kapkov in the dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow because he considers him a "reasonable person" who is also not under sanctions and can move freely around the world.
According to sources, Kapkov is involved not only in organizing of the exchange of prisoners, but also in "specific issues." For example, in the discussion of the parameters of the so-called "grain deal".
The publication notes that when a phone call needs to be made Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or Russian president Vladimir Putin, Abramovich call himself. And when "there are already established connections, people who know people" and you need to call some general, then Kapkov does it, since the Ukrainian and Russian militaries have very little direct contacts.
In addition, Abramovich also involved in the negotiations his long-standing business partner, deputy general director of Millhouse LLC (affiliated with Millhouse LLC, owned by Abramovich and manages his assets) David Davidovich.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, another long-time acquaintance of Abramovich participated in the negotiation process - the chairman of the board of directors of the Skolkovo school of management, the former head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation (in 1999-2003) Alexander Voloshin. He allegedly had a few phone conversations with the head of the Servant of the People faction, Davyd Arakhamia, who was part of the official negotiating group from Ukraine.
Another participant in the negotiation process was the Russian-Ukrainian film producer Alexander Rodnyansky, who has a long-term friendship with Abramovich. In an interview in January 2023, Rodnyansky said that on the day of the full-scale Russian invasion, he received a call from the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, Andriy Yermak, and offered Yermak to help get in touch with Abramovich, trying to "somehow lead to a peaceful quick solution."
The publication adds that Abramovich still maintains informal contacts with representatives of both sides and "devotes all his time to prisoner exchanges."