FT: The Syrian Central Bank sent $250 million in cash to Russia in 2019

At the same time, Assad’s entourage acquired more than 1,200 square meters of real estate in Moscow City

From March 2018 to September 2019, the Syrian Central Bank sent 21 planeloads of cash in dollars and euros to Russia, their total amount was approximately $250 million, the Financial Times reports .

During the same period of time, Assad’s entourage acquired more than 1,200 square meters of real estate in the Federation Tower in Moscow City, and Syria began to depend on military support from the Kremlin, including from the mercenaries of the Wagner PMC, the newspaper notes.

Opposition figures and Western governments accuse Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of plundering the country to enrich himself and committing criminal activities to finance the war.

“Russia has been a safe haven for the Assad regime’s finances for many years,” said Eyad Hamid, a senior fellow at the Syrian Legal Development Program. After he crushed the Syrian uprising in 2011 and the West imposed sanctions on the country, Moscow began playing a key role in circumventing restrictions.