Intel: Why Russia is getting involved in Mideast COVID-19 fight
Syria has requested assisted from Moscow to fight the coronavirus outbreak, as Russia implements a campaign to cultivate its image as a "caring power," approaching Middle East leaders to work together against the spread of the virus.
Syria has made an official request for Russian assistance to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. On April 8, Syria’s ambassador to Moscow, Riyad Haddad, told Russian reporters that he had approached the Russian Health Ministry to request aid to clamp down on the spread of COVID-19 in his country.
According to Haddad, Damascus has asked Moscow for testing kits and detection equipment, personal protection gear, and medical devices.
Why it matters: On April 7, Syria's government-run news agency, SANA, reported Health Ministry claims of a total of 19 coronavirus cases in the country. Among those infected, three people had recovered and two had died. Unofficial reports point to potentially much higher figures.
The spread of the virus in Syria has been on Moscow’s radar for more than a month. On March 24, Al-Monitor reported that Russia providing assistance to Syria to deal with the pandemic had been on the agenda of a meeting that day in Damascus between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
