The former Syrian president and his family have been in Moscow since Sunday. After a few first days full of unknowns in which the whereabouts of al Assad and his family were unknown, and there were even rumors about the possibility that the plane he was traveling on would have been shot down or that he was in an African nation, Kremlin sources confirmed to the Russian agencies TASS and Interfax that the deposed Syrian president is in Russia.
Humanitarian reasons
According to the Kremlin representative, “the president of Syria, Assad, arrived with his family in Moscow. Russia, based on humanitarian criteria, offered him asylum.” The TASS agency statement adds: “Russia has always advocated the search for a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis” and opens the door to negotiate “under the auspices of the UN.”
Before Al Assad’s arrival in Russia, the Russian Government was the first international authority to confirm that the former president had left Damascus due to the unstoppable advance of the rebels and jihadists.
Relationship between Russia and Al Assad
In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation that prevented Bashar from being overthrown and the Islamic State from taking power. Al Assad and his family have always had the support of RussiaIn fact, when Bashar’s father, Hafez, became President in 1971, he was also supported by the Kremlin. Therefore, it is not surprising that President Putin himself, as confirmed by the Kremlin, made the decision to offer asylum to Al Assad.
Al Assad’s new life of luxury in Moscow
Al Assad’s life in Moscow will not be free of luxuries. In 2019, the Financial Times published an investigation detailing that the former Syrian leader bought between 2013 and 2019 at least 20 apartments in Moscow CityMoscow’s financial district. The majority of these apartments, up to 13, are directly or indirectly linked to him, either because they are his or the companies he runs.
Furthermore, the investigation explained that Asad’s son, Hafez, lived in one of those apartments. So this could be the new home of the Assads: luxury apartments in skyscrapers with the Mosova River at their feet and close to the city center. On the contrary, it is an area that was attacked by Ukrainian drones last year.
