Syrian rebels overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the deposed dictator fled the country. Russian agencies, relying on Kremlin sources, reported in the second half of the day that Assad and his family are in Russia and have been granted asylum there. However, there is still no official and confirmed information about the whereabouts of the former Syrian leader.
Syrian rebels on Sunday announced the liberation of Damascus and the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad after 24 years of rule. The dictator suppressed all forms of dissent and imprisoned thousands of people. The rebels announced that they had released “all the prisoners” in the capital.
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Since then, speculation has abounded about Assad's whereabouts. Two Reuters sources said he likely died in the plane crash. One of the vehicles disappeared from the radars after taking off from Damascus airport on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
Russian sources inform about Assad's arrival in Russia
Although there is still no official information about Bashar al-Assad, on Sunday afternoon, Russian news agencies, relying on a source in the Kremlin, reported that the Syrian leader and his family had arrived in Moscow and received asylum.
The Interfax news agency quoted an anonymous source as saying: “Syrian President Assad arrived in Moscow. Russia granted them (he and his family – editor's note) asylum on humanitarian grounds.”
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Moscow: Assad left the president and Syria
On Sunday, the Foreign Ministry of Russia – an ally of Bashar al-Assad's regime – announced that the dictator “relinquished the position of president and Syria after talks with a number of participants in the Syrian conflict and ordered a peaceful transfer of power.”
As he added, Russia did not participate in the negotiations on the transfer of power. The ministry emphasized that the Russian authorities are in contact with the Syrian opposition.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
