Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
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Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo

Markets in Damascus registered a decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar, a few hours after the explosion of one of the branch gas lines in Al-Sukhnah in the desert of Homs, on the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor governorate.

The USD exchange rate in Damascus hit SYP 3040 on Saturday, while in Aleppo it reached SYP 3030, amid the exacerbation of the fuel and bread crises in the regime-controlled areas.

In parallel, the Syrian Jazira region saw the eruption of chaos. A video broadcast by Kurdish activists in the city of Hassakeh showed the police chasing a number of civilian demonstrators, who were protesting against a security siege imposed on the neighborhoods of the city center, which is controlled by the Syrian regime.

On the other hand, the imam and preacher of the Great Mosque in Hassakeh, Ahmed Ismail, called on the “international community and humanitarian organizations” to convey the voice of the people to the world, and to shed light on the “harsh siege” imposed by the Syrian Democratic Forces on the people of the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the Syrian regime forces and their security apparatus continue to impose a blockade on areas controlled by the Kurdish forces within the towns and villages of the northern countryside of Aleppo, “where the Fourth Division checkpoints prevent the entry of flour, fuel, and medicine.”

The neighborhoods of Hassakeh are witnessing an unprecedented military mobilization on both sides, with military skirmishes recorded despite Moscow’s efforts to reduce the escalation.



SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
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SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)

A confidential document obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has revealed massive money smuggling operations carried out via Syrian Airlines to Moscow.
The operations are described as among the most corrupt financial transfers orchestrated by the now-defunct Syrian regime.
According to the document, the majority of the funds stem from profits made through the production and trade of Captagon, a highly lucrative illicit drug.
The head of SOHR, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the most recent transfer took place just four days before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow in December of last year.
Rami Abdel Rahman also affirmed that the leaked document underscores the “deep involvement of the former Syrian regime in illegal activities.”
He added that further investigations could uncover a vast network of secret financial operations used to transfer large sums of money from Syria to Russia and other countries under official cover and without oversight.
“The regime, led by the ousted Assad and his brother, spearheaded drug-related investments, particularly through the production, promotion, and export of Captagon,” Abdel Rahman told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He explained that one key route involved a small port near the Afamia chalets on Syria's coast, which previously belonged to Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of late former President Hafez al-Assad.
From there, shipments were sent via smugglers to Italian ports, where collaborating traders distributed the drugs globally.
A Syrian source based in Russia, closely monitoring the regime’s activities and investments there, said the content of the leaked document is not new but that its official confirmation adds weight to prior claims.
“Western media had previously reported on the regime’s money-smuggling operations, which led to some loyalists being added to international sanctions lists, particularly regime-linked businessmen like Mudalal Khouri,” the source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sanctions were also imposed on individuals accused of money laundering for the regime.
The source confirmed that the operations were conducted using Syrian Airlines flights to Moscow.
“There were dozens of such flights, each loaded with hard currency—mostly US dollars and €500 euro notes,” the source said.
The money was reportedly delivered directly from the airport to the Syrian regime's embassy in Moscow, where it was distributed to loyalist businessmen.
These funds were then invested in Russian and Belarusian banks, real estate, and commercial properties. Some of the money was also used to establish companies in both countries.
The operations were allegedly overseen by Mohammed Makhlouf, the maternal uncle of Assad.