MOSCOW, Russia — Bashar al-Assad, the longtime president of Syria, has fled to Moscow and been granted asylum after rebels declared victory in Damascus, marking the end of his 24-year rule.
Russian state media announced Assad’s arrival in the Russian capital on Sunday, December 8, 2024, hours after Syrian opposition fighters seized control of the country’s capital, effectively toppling his regime.
“Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum,” a Kremlin source told TASS, the state news agency.
Rebels Encircle Damascus
The fall of Damascus came after weeks of rapid rebel advances across Syria, culminating in the collapse of Assad’s government.
Opposition forces celebrated in the streets as news spread of Assad’s ouster, while speculation mounted about his whereabouts.
On Saturday, as rebel forces encircled the capital, sources revealed that Assad was no longer in Damascus.
Presidential Guard units, a fixture at his official residence, were conspicuously absent, heightening rumours of his departure.
After seizing Damascus, rebels confirmed Assad’s escape and began ransacking his official residences.
Russia Confirms Assad’s Departure
Amid the chaos, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Assad had “decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.”
The ministry added that Russia had not been involved in the negotiations that led to his departure.
Hours later, Russian state media confirmed Assad’s arrival in Moscow under Kremlin protection.
Flight Tracking Data and Escape Route
Flight tracking data indicated that a plane departed Damascus airport early Sunday morning, heading toward the coastal city of Latakia before making a U-turn over Homs and vanishing from radar.
Media outlets could not confirm whether Assad was aboard the flight, but sources close to the rebels suggested he fled under Russian protection to the airbase in Latakia before leaving Syria.
The Role of Russia and Iran
Assad’s flight to Russia underscores the critical role Moscow played in propping up his regime throughout the Syrian civil war.
Since the uprising began in 2011, Russian air power and military aid were instrumental in keeping Assad in power.
Just days before his departure, Assad met with Iran’s foreign minister and pledged to continue fighting “terrorist organisations.”
However, his silence as rebels captured major cities suggested he was preparing for an exit.
A Disgraced Exit
Assad’s asylum in Moscow marks an ignominious end to his presidency.
Coming to power in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, he ruled with an iron fist for nearly a quarter-century, presiding over a brutal civil war that left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.
Now, as the opposition consolidates control over Syria, questions loom about the country’s future and Assad’s role in exile.
Whether Moscow will remain his permanent home or serve as a stopover to another destination is yet unclear.
For many Syrians, the fall of Damascus and Assad’s departure represent both a historic moment of liberation and the start of a challenging chapter in rebuilding a fractured nation.
