21 Cash-Transporting Flights, 2 Tons of Euros and Dollars: What Assad Sent to Russia

Syrian authorities dispatched planes loaded with millions of dollars and euros in cash to Russia while President Bashar Assad was still in power. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing confidential documents.

According to the publication, the transfers occurred between 2018 and 2019, and the funds belonged to the Syrian central bank. Moreover, as noted by a well-informed source of the news outlet, there was a severe currency shortage in the country during that period. “At that time, reserves were nearly zero,” he emphasized.

Despite this, Assad’s government sent approximately $250 million worth of cash in dollars and euros to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, weighing about 2 tons, composed of $100 and €500 banknotes. In total, 21 cash-transporting flights were conducted from March 2018 to September 2019. All funds imported to Russia were later deposited in Russian banks.

Additionally, Assad’s family acquired secret assets in Russia, including elite real estate. Specifically, they purchased at least 19 luxury apartments in the elite Moscow City district, with a total value of at least $40 million.

During 2018-2019, when the Syrian central bank was transferring cash to Moscow, Assad's regime was heavily reliant on Russian military support, the FT reminds.

It is worth mentioning that in late November, the Syrian opposition, predominantly led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group, launched an assault from Idlib province first on Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, and then on the capital, Damascus. On December 8, the rebels announced the collapse of Assad’s regime.

59-year-old Assad, who has been in office since 2000, stepped down from his presidential powers and fled to Russia, where he sought asylum. According to Bloomberg, Russian authorities convinced Assad to leave safely, and Russian intelligence operatives organized his escape. They extracted the Syrian president using a Russian airbase. The transponders of the aircraft transporting Assad were turned off to evade detection. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded an explanation as to why Russian special services did not notice the growing threat from Assad's regime until it was too late, claims a source close to the Kremlin.