The British newspaper The Guardian published a report on Monday, 15 December, about the situation of the Assad family at their residence in Moscow.
According to the report, the family of Syria’s ousted president Bashar al-Assad is living a “quiet and isolated” life in Moscow among Russia’s elite circles, after he fled Syria following the fall of his rule on 8 December 2024.
Citing a close friend of the family, as well as sources in Russia and Syria and leaked data, the newspaper reported that Assad has returned to studying, learning Russian and resuming training in his former specialty, ophthalmology, which he studied in London before taking power.
The source added that this move is “driven by passion, not financial need,” noting that Assad had practiced the profession intermittently even before the Syrian revolution began in 2011.
According to the report, members of the Assad family are based in upscale neighborhoods of the Russian capital, most notably the gated Rublyovka area, known for housing prominent political and economic figures, including former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in 2014.
The report adds that the ousted family is not facing financial hardship. Since Western sanctions were imposed in 2011, it moved a large portion of its wealth to Moscow, outside Western financial systems, enabling it to maintain a lavish lifestyle despite political isolation.
Despite their affluent lifestyle in Moscow, The Guardian said the family has become largely cut off from the political and social circles it once moved within, whether in Syria or in Russia.
Assad’s last-minute flight from Damascus left, according to the paper’s sources, a sense of betrayal among those close to him. Russian officials have also imposed strict limits on his contact with prominent figures from the former government.
Quoting a friend of the family, the newspaper said Assad’s life in Moscow is “very quiet,” with his communication with the outside world nearly nonexistent, restricted to a small number of people who worked with him at the presidential palace, including Mansour Azzam, the former Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Yasar Ibrahim, one of the most prominent economic frontmen of the ousted government.
Bashar al-Assad no longer carries any political weight in Russia, as the Russian leadership does not show sympathy for leaders who have lost their power.
A source close to the Kremlin
According to a source close to the Kremlin, Bashar al-Assad no longer carries any political weight in Russia. The source described him as “irrelevant” to President Vladimir Putin and the ruling elite in Moscow.
The source added that the Russian leadership “does not show sympathy for leaders who have lost their power,” and that Assad is no longer viewed as an influential figure, or even as a guest worthy of being present in closed circles.
The newspaper also cited a friend of Maher al-Assad, the former commander of the Fourth Division in Assad’s army, saying Maher repeatedly tried to reach Bashar in the days before the government fell, but received no response.
The source added that Maher remained at the presidential palace until the final moments. Fighters later found traces suggesting he left late. Maher reportedly helped a number of figures flee, while “Bashar was only focused on himself,” according to the source.
The report also included testimony from a lawyer representing Rifaat al-Assad, who said some family members were thrown into disarray after Assad fled, not knowing how to leave Syria. The lawyer said eight family members were forced to sleep in their cars outside Russia’s Hmeimim air base (in Latakia province, western Syria) after they were unable to contact Russian soldiers, before later managing to leave to Oman following the intervention of a senior Russian official.
Seeking a media interview
In the first months after the fall of the government, the fate of Assad’s former allies was not a priority for him, according to the report. The family’s focus centered on Asma al-Assad’s health, as she was receiving treatment in Moscow for leukemia. Informed sources said her condition later stabilized after she received experimental treatment under the direct supervision of Russian security services.
With Asma’s health improving, Bashar al-Assad has sought, according to the newspaper, to appear in the media to present his account of what happened. Potential interviews were arranged with RT and a US right-wing blogger, but Russian authorities have not yet granted him permission to appear publicly, as Russia bars Assad from any political or media activity.
Assad’s children adapt
Meanwhile, al- Assad’s children appear to be adapting to their new reality among Moscow’s elite circles, though signs of shock remain, according to people close to the family.
The family’s only recorded public appearance, without Bashar, was at the graduation ceremony of his daughter Zein from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) on 30 June 2025, when she received a degree in international relations. Students who attended said the family kept a low profile and left quickly without drawing attention.
Zein al-Assad at her graduation ceremony at MGIMO, 30 June 2025 (The Guardian)
As for Hafez Bashar al-Assad, he has stayed out of sight after publishing a video in February defending the family’s narrative about leaving Damascus. He then shut down most of his social media accounts and began using aliases, according to leaked data.
Sources said Asma al-Assad and her children spend long periods shopping and buying luxury goods, and also travel frequently between Moscow and the United Arab Emirates.
The newspaper noted that the UAE had been a preferred destination for the family even before the fall of the government, but the option of permanently relocating there appears to be postponed due to the political sensitivity surrounding hosting Bashar al-Assad, even in states that have previously received controversial figures.
How did Assad flee
Reuters reported, citing people it described as informed about the final days and hours of the ousted Syrian president, details about the hours before his escape.
On 13 December 2024, Reuters said Assad prepared a secret plan to flee Syria as his authority was collapsing, without informing most of his aides, government officials, or even relatives.
Reuters, citing more than 10 sources, said Assad relied on deception and secrecy to secure his departure.
Assad told his presidential office director on Saturday, 7 December 2024, after finishing work, that he was heading home, but instead went to the airport.
He also called his media adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, and asked her to come to his home to write a speech for him. When she arrived, no one was there.
Hours before leaving Syria, Assad met with around 30 military and security commanders at the Ministry of Defense. He told them Russian military support was on its way and urged ground forces to hold their positions.
According to a source present at the meeting, there was no indication of his plan to flee. Civilian employees were also unaware, Reuters said.
Three aides told Reuters that Assad did not even inform his younger brother Maher of his plans. One of them said Maher took a helicopter to Iraq and then to Russia.
In the early hours of Sunday, 8 December, Bashar al-Assad left Damascus on a private jet, flying under the radar after disabling the aircraft’s transponder to avoid being intercepted by opposition factions entering the capital.
The plane landed at Russia’s Hmeimim air base (in Latakia province, western Syria). From there, Assad boarded another aircraft to Moscow, where his wife Asma and their three children were waiting.
Three members of Assad’s inner circle also told Reuters he initially sought asylum in the UAE as opposition fighters seized Aleppo and Homs and advanced toward Damascus.
The sources said Emirati officials refused out of concern over international backlash for sheltering a figure under US and European sanctions, including over the use of chemical weapons against Syrians.
Three sources added that Moscow also coordinated with neighboring countries to ensure that a Russian aircraft leaving Syrian airspace with Assad on board would not be intercepted or targeted.
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