There was more than one flight: Assad took two tons of euros and dollars from Syria's central bank to Russia in advance – FT

The Syrian authorities sent planes to Russia with millions of dollars and euros in cash when dictator Bashar al-Assad was still in power. At that time, the country was experiencing an acute shortage of foreign currency, with reserves being "almost zero."

The Financial Times reports this with reference to confidential documents. According to the publication, the money was transferred in 2018-2019, and the funds themselves belonged to the Central Bank of Syria.

"We have found records showing that the Assad regime, desperate for foreign currency, smuggled nearly two tons of $100 and €500 notes to Moscow's Vnukovo airport between 2018 and 2019 for deposit in authorized Russian banks," the publication says.

A total of 21 flights carrying currency were made between March 2018 and September 2019. All the funds imported to Russia were subsequently deposited in Russian banks, and Assad's family secretly bought assets from them.

Opposition figures and Western governments have accused the Assad regime of looting Syria's wealth and turning to criminal activity to finance the war and enrich itself. The supply of cash to Russia coincided with Syria's dependence on the Kremlin's military support, in particular from mercenaries of the "Wagner" PMC, and Assad's extended family began buying up luxury real estate in Moscow. In particular, it bought about 19 luxury apartments in the Moscow City area worth at least $40 million.

"The unusual transfers from Damascus emphasize that Russia, as an important ally of the Syrian leader, has become one of the most important destinations for Syrian cash as Western sanctions have forced the country out of the financial system," the publication writes.

At the end of November 2024, the Syrian opposition, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, launched an offensive from Idlib province, first on Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, and then on the capital, Damascus. Already on December 8, the rebels announced the overthrow of the 25-4-year-old regime of Bashar al-Assad. He and his family hastily fled to Russia. Russia itself is now trying to maintain its military bases in Syria.

"The regime should have moved its money abroad to a safe haven to be able to use it to provide a wonderful life... for the regime and its inner circle. Assad's flight to Moscow has even angered some of his former supporters, who see it as proof of Assad's paramount personal interest," the FT added.

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