Bashar Assad joins company of Viktor Yanukovych and Edward Snowden in Russia

Bashar al-Assad, who resigned as Syrian President, has arrived in Russia, a Kremlin source told TASS. Assad and his family members are in Moscow, the source said.

Photo: kremlin.ru

Bashar Assad

"Russia, based on humanitarian considerations, granted them asylum," the source in the Kremlin said.

On Sunday afternoon, December 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Bashar al-Assad had resigned as president and left Syria. At that time, they did not disclose Assad's whereabouts.

The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that Assad "made the decision to leave the presidential post" after negotiations with "a number of participants in the armed conflict" in the country. He also "gave instructions to transfer power peacefully."

Russia will not extradite Assad

Moscow will not extradite former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to anyone. The former President of Syria will enjoy his honorable old age in Russia, Yuri Lyamin, a senior researcher at the AST Center said in an interview with vzglyad.ru publication.

"Russia has not ratified the protocol of subordination to the International Criminal Court, so no matter who issues warrants for Assad's arrest, Moscow will not extradite him,” the political scientist noted.

According to Lyamin, neither the United States nor the European Union will be able to hold Bashar al-Assad accountable. The expert recalled that former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and former CIA employee Edward Snowden have been living in Russia for years now, and no foreign justice agencies has been able to "reach” them.

Russia insists on a new stage of negotiations on Syria

The geopolitical crisis in Syria began to escalate after the offensive of anti-government armed forces in late November. On the night of Sunday, December 8, representatives of the armed opposition took control of the city of Homs and entered Damascus.

Syrian armed opposition guaranteed the security of Russian military bases, as well as all diplomatic institutions, a TASS source also said.

Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the Syrian opposition, whose leaders guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria, the Kremlin source said.

Russia insists on a new stage of negotiations on Syria, which will be held under the auspices of the UN, the source added.

Earlier, Anas al-Abda, a member of the political committee of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, said that the forces that captured Damascus hope for good relations with Russia. According to him, both sides have common interests.

RIA Novosti noted that the armed opposition of Syria has already established contacts with Russia and formed a permanent communication channel with the Russian authorities.

No regional leader wanted to help Assad

Assad asked for help from the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before leaving the country, The Economist said with reference to its sources.

"He’s telling everyone he wants to fight. The problem is that no one else wants to fight for him," the magazine said.

According to the publication, Assad personally contacted UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He also contacted the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and other countries. However, none of the governments that Assad contacted expressed a desire to help him retain power in Syria.

US President Joe Biden believes that Syria has reached a turning point that carries risks and uncertainties, but can be used to build a better future.

Biden also said that Washington intends to interact with the Syrian opposition during the transition of power.

Opposition flag raised over Syrian Embassy in Moscow

The Syrian Embassy in Russia installed a flag of the Syrian opposition near the diplomatic mission building, TASS said.

"The flag of the Syrian opposition was raised over the Syrian Embassy in Moscow on Mansurovsky Lane," the agency reports.

On December 8, anti-government forces in Syria captured the city of Homs and entered the capital Damascus. Militants announced live on state television that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown. His family had ruled the republic for over 50 years.

A transfer of power has begun in the country. Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the head of the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (banned in Russia) said that government institutions would remain under the supervision of former Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali until a transitional government was established.

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Bashar al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer, and surgeon who served as the 19th president of Syria from July 2000 until his overthrow in December 2024. As president, Assad was the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who was the president from 1971 until his death in 2000. In 1994, after his elder brother Bassel al-Assad died in a car accident, Assad was recalled to Syria to take over Bassel's role as heir apparent. Assad entered the military academy, taking charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in 1998. On 17 July 2000, Assad became president, succeeding his father, who died on 10 June 2000. A series of crackdowns in 2001–02 ended the Damascus Spring, a period marked by calls for transparency and democracy.