**Syrian Dictator Airlifts $250 Million to Moscow**
Bashar al-Assad, the former dictator of Syria, secretly airlifted $250 million in cash to Moscow between 2018 and 2019. This is according to a report by the Financial Times (FT) on December 15.
The money was flown into Russia in nearly two tonnes of $100 bills and €500 notes, which were then deposited into sanctioned Russian banks. The FT reported that this occurred at a time when Syria was heavily indebted to Russia for its military support, and while Assad’s relatives were buying up assets in Russia.
**Russia’s Military Presence in Question**
The report comes as Syrian rebels announced on December 8 that they had successfully ousted Assad from power following a lightning offensive across the country. Moscow persuaded Assad to flee to Russia with his family after realizing his regime was bound to lose to the opposition’s rapid advance.
Now, with Assad gone, the future of Russia’s military presence in Syria is unclear. Satellite imagery collected by Maxar on December 13 suggested that Russia is preparing to scale back its military operations.
**Russia Prepares to Withdraw from Syria**
Imagery from Khmeimim air base and Tartus naval base showed Russian forces packing up equipment and dismantling military hardware. A senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Michael Kofman, described this as part of a larger consolidation effort.
“The withdrawal is underway,” Kofman wrote on X.
The Kremlin emphasized the importance of securing its military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria, but declined to comment on potential evacuations.
**Ukraine-USSR Conflict Continues**
In other news, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues. Ukrainian forces have successfully fought off North Korean soldiers who were sent by Moscow to aid their troops.
“We see them now in Kursk Oblast only, and our brave defenders were not only able to kill a lot of them, but also keep the positions,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, told CBS News.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes committed in Ukraine. As a result, Putin will not be attending a meeting with European leaders in South Africa.
**Sanctions and Diplomacy**
Meanwhile, Lithuania and Estonia have imposed sanctions against Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and several government officials over allegations of undermining democracy.
Hungary has maintained close economic and diplomatic relations with Moscow despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It has repeatedly criticized EU sanctions against Russia and obstructed efforts to provide military aid to Kyiv.