Bashar al Assad flew about $250 million to Moscow between 2018 and 2019, the Financial Times reports.
According to foreign media, the first data from the newspaper shows that the central bank of Syria "flew" almost two tons of 100-dollar bills and 500-euro bills to Russia, and the money was then deposited in sanctioned Russian banks.
The transfers came at a time when Syria became dependent on the Kremlin's military support and after Moscow deployed its troops to Syria in 2015, writes A2 CNN.
David Schenker, who was US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from 2019 to 2021, told The Financial Times the transfers were "not surprising".
He also said Assad regularly sent money for "a combination of securing their ill-gotten gains and Syria's legacy abroad."
Moscow is a staunch supporter of the Assad regime, and in 2015 Vladimir Putin's intervention in the Syrian civil war helped prop up Assad, writes A2 CNN.
In turn, the Assad regime has allowed Russia to host two military bases in Syria - the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim airbase - which are an integral part of the Kremlin's military presence in the area. (A2 Televizion)
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