Russian interests in Syria are no longer focused on resolving the political stalemate or improving the humanitarian conditions of areas deprived of international aid, but is rather focused on the spread of the coronavirus in the war-torn country.
The pandemic, according to Russian statistics, has affected around a million Syrians.
Moscow, over the last few weeks, announced sending a medical aid convoy to Syria that included equipment used to detect the virus.
Russian circles, however, avoided announcing available data about the spread of the virus in Syria as to save face when it comes to the Syrian regime failing to announce the spread of COVID-19 and failing to reveal real data on infections.
Remarkably, Russian state media in the past few days reported on the disastrous levels of spread of the virus in Syria. Russian papers reported on correspondents documenting large numbers of infection that weren’t mentioned in the Syrian regime press coverage.
This prompted some writers and commentators to assert that Syria "is currently experiencing the biggest humanitarian disaster in its history, and perhaps one of the biggest humanitarian disasters in the world."
Diplomat and political researcher Ramy al-Shaar wrote an op-ed that warns that the virus is spreading uncontrollably across Syria and that the number of infections reaches approximately a million with hundreds of deaths.
While the country is experiencing a terrifying humanitarian catastrophe, the pandemic threatens the lives of millions.
Al-Shaar writes that Russia is determined to spent magnanimous efforts to dodge a COVID-19 catastrophe in Syria. He also said that dealing with the virus has become a priority because reaching a political settlement according to the UNSC resolution 2254 will be meaningless if millions of Syrians were lost to the virus.
