DAMASCUS

May 5, 2026

Russia Threatened to Halt Syrian Oil Operations if Assad Regime Didn’t Pay Debt

Leaked meeting minutes show Russia’s deputy defense minister leaning on Syria to pay a $37-million bill for keeping oil flowing. Months after that meeting, the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell to a rebel coalition. Syria’s new government has continued to negotiate with Russia over its total debt of at least $1.2 billion.

Investigations

February 3, 2026

“The Shot is on target”: New Evidence Exposes Assad Regime’s Deliberate Killing of Journalists Marie Colvin and Rémi Ochlik in Homs

Despite Bashar al-Assad’s denial that his forces deliberately killed American journalist Marie Colvin and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs in 2012, this investigation presents new evidence and testimonies published for the first time, confirming that his forces deliberately shelled the media center in the neighborhood. The investigation also reveals that Assad’s forces tried to eliminate the wounded journalists and prevent them from leaving the besieged area.

Investigations

December 11, 2025

“‘The Green’ in Assad’s Hand”.. How the Syrian Regime Recruited Informants to Trap Those Dealing in U.S. Dollars

The Assad regime mobilized a network of informants and a set of laws to monopolize the possession of foreign currencies, tracking down and arresting anyone dealing in U.S. dollars or other foreign currencies. This followed Decree No. 3 of 2020, which criminalized transactions in any currency other than the Syrian pound. The decree significantly strengthened the regime’s security grip on individuals holding foreign currency, forcing them into a stark choice: either share their money with regime authorities or face security persecution and arrest.

Investigations

October 16, 2024

DAMASCUS

Russia Threatened to Halt Syrian Oil Operations if Assad Regime Didn’t Pay Debt

“The Shot is on target”: New Evidence Exposes Assad Regime’s Deliberate Killing of Journalists Marie Colvin and Rémi Ochlik in Homs

“‘The Green’ in Assad’s Hand”.. How the Syrian Regime Recruited Informants to Trap Those Dealing in U.S. Dollars

The risk of return: As Israel bombs Lebanon, Syrian deportees face detention, conscription, or worse

The Secretive Supply Chain Sending EU Trucks to Syria

Syria’s Youth Soccer Teams Were the Pride of the Nation — But Dozens of Players Were Too Old To Compete

“Dubai Unlocked”: 10 Individuals Within Assad’s Close Circle Hide 50 Million Dollars in Dubai Estates

Inside A Libyan Trafficking Den

Drowning in Lies: A Greek Tragedy

Millions in UN Funding Flow to War Profiteers and Human Rights Abusers in Syria, Study Shows

How Syria’s Embassies in Europe Help Fund the War Back Home

Syria’s Sinister yet Lucrative Trade in Dead Bodies

“Imagine Living and Dying With No Documents?” Children of Civil Marriage in Syria

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