Dimers with very different Ru-Ru bond lengths and Ru-Cl-Ru bond angles-deformation isomers-are present in equal parts in crystals of the title compound. Solid-state NMR investigations show that the isomer 1a with the shorter Ru-Ru distance (2.93 angstrom) is diamagnetic, that with the longer distance (3.75 angstrom, 1b), on the other hand, paramagnetic. The temperature dependence of the H-1 NMR signal in solution is understandable if one assumes that the two isomers rapidly interconvert.