Assad Family Leads Quiet Life in Russian Luxury Following Escape from Damascus
On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad and his sons fled Damascus as rebel forces closed in. They were evacuated by a Russian escort to the Khmeimim airbase and then flown to Russia. Since their arrival, the Assad family has been living a quiet, luxurious life in Moscow and the United Arab Emirates, largely cut off from public attention.
They are believed to reside in Rublyovka, Moscow’s gated elite enclave, near other notable figures such as Viktor Yanukovych. The family’s wealth had been moved to Moscow to avoid Western sanctions dating back to 2011, placing their assets beyond the reach of Western regulatory authorities.
In Moscow, Bashar al-Assad has been studying Russian and rekindling his interest in ophthalmology, a field he practiced previously in Damascus. His wife, Asma al-Assad, who had long battled leukemia, recovered after undergoing experimental therapy in Moscow, with her health now stabilized.
Russian authorities have restricted Assad’s public engagement; Elbrus Kutrashev, the Russian ambassador to Iraq, stated that Assad is not permitted to participate in media or political activities. The family maintains a low profile, with Zein al-Assad attending his MGIMO graduation on June 30, an event at which the family briefly appeared but avoided drawing attention.
Meanwhile, Hafez al-Assad shared a Telegram video recounting their escape to Moscow, but has since limited his public presence and adopts a pseudonym derived from an American children’s detective series.
