Russia has suspended wheat exports to Syria until further notice due to “uncertainty regarding the new authority,” and delays in settling previous financial dues.

Reuters reported today, December 8, citing unnamed Russian and Syrian sources, that shipping data for two ships carrying Russian wheat destined for Syria did not reach their destination.

Russia is the largest wheat exporter in the world, according to Reuters, and supplied the previous Syrian regime with wheat through financial and logistical arrangements to bypass Western sanctions on both Russia and the regime.

The previous Syrian regime imported wheat from Russia due to its lower cost, at the expense of local wheat, which saw a reduction in government support.

Syria is struggling to secure wheat from the international market due to Western sanctions, although food shipments are not included in these sanctions.

The previous regime secured wheat from Russia through various means, including rare agreements often disclosed, tenders issued by the General Organization for Grain, or shipments sent by Moscow under the guise of aid.

Russia has been the main supporter of the previous Syrian regime and granted humanitarian asylum to Bashar al-Assad on the night of its fall on December 8.

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted asylum to al-Assad and his family after he fled Syria following the opposition factions’ takeover of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Russia has military bases in Syria, most notably Hmeimim airbase in western Syria, and according to a report from RIA Novosti, Moscow ensures the permanence of its bases in Syria through the Russian forces present at these bases.

With the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation launched by the Military Operations Administration on November 27, which led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syria Salvation Government (SSG) sent reassuring messages to Russia.

According to a statement from the Political Affairs Administration of the Salvation Government on November 29, the Syrian revolution “has never been against any country or people, including Russia.”

The SSG’s statement urged Russia not to link its interests to the Syrian regime or Bashar al-Assad but with the Syrian people, expressing the government’s indication of a “potential partnership” in building a “bright future for Syria.”