"21 plane loads of money from Assad to Russia."

On November 27, the opposition groups led by HTS began their operations and reached the capital, Damascus, in 12 days. Following the entry of the opposition into Damascus, the 61-year Baath regime came to an end. Bashar al-Assad and his family sought refuge in Russia after the developments.

New details continue to emerge following Assad's escape to Russia. The Financial Times (FT) reported that the Central Bank of Syria sent millions of dollars in cash to Moscow between 2018 and 2019. The report claimed that approximately 2 tons of euros and 250 million dollars in cash were sent to Russia via 21 flights.

LARGE CASH TRANSFER FROM SYRIA TO MOSCOW

According to documents released by FT, despite the fact that foreign currency reserves were nearly depleted during Bashar al-Assad's administration, the Central Bank of Syria sent a large amount of cash consisting of 100-dollar and 500-euro banknotes to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.

OVER 250 MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH SENT

It was revealed that during a flight in 2019, Assad sent 10 million dollars in 100-dollar banknotes, and in another flight, he sent 20 million euros in 500-euro banknotes. It was also claimed that Assad transported over 250 million dollars in cash to Moscow between March 2018 and September 2019.

NO RECORDS FOR A 6-YEAR PERIOD

FT reported that no records could be found regarding money transfers between 2012 and 2018. The newspaper claimed that cash assets were deposited in Russian banks and that the Assad family purchased luxury real estate in Moscow. Eyad Hamid from the Syrian Legal Development Program stated that such money transfers have been carried out by the Assad regime for many years.

WHAT HAPPENED IN SYRIA?

On November 27, clashes intensified between regime-opposing armed groups and Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria. The groups gained superiority in the largest cities such as Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs between November 30 and December 7.

As the groups began to enter the capital Damascus on December 7, with support from the masses, the regime completely lost control in Damascus and many other regions, leading to its collapse. The 61-year rule of the Baath Party came to an end, and regime leader Assad fled the capital.

Meanwhile, the Syrian National Army also liberated the center of the Tel Rifaat district from the terrorist organization PKK/YPG on the first day of the Operation Dawn of Freedom launched in December. With the liberation of the Manbij district, the region, which had turned into the largest terrorist stronghold west of the Euphrates River, was cleared of PKK/YPG.