The family of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was granted asylum in Russia, lives its life in Moscow's high society, versia.ru reports.
„The New York Times“ reports on how Bashar al-Assad and his family spend their time, citing relatives and friends of the family, as well as former Syrian officials.
A Syrian expatriate who spoke to the newspaper told how he met Bashar al-Assad during dinner at the „Sixty“ restaurant, located on the 62nd floor of the „Federation“ tower in Moscow City. The restaurant, according to the newspaper, is popular with members of the Russian political elite and popular world stars, and the former president was among its VIP guests.
According to the newspaper, the family initially stayed at the “Four Seasons“ hotel, where weekly rent for apartments can reach $13,000. Subsequently, Assad, his wife and children moved to a penthouse in the “Federation“ tower, and then to a mansion on Rublyovka. This was also reported by the German newspaper “Zeit“ and the British newspaper “The Guardian“. The latter reported that Assad, who has a medical education, is attending ophthalmology courses in Moscow. According to sources in the newspaper, Russian intelligence services continue to provide Assad with security.
The younger brother of the former president, Maher Assad, also lives in Moscow. According to sources, he was spotted in the area of the Capital Towers residential complex near Moscow-City. This summer, Maher Assad was filmed in a video clip, in the Myata Platinum hookah lounge in the Afimall shopping center.
Bashar Assad's daughter, Zein, a graduate of MGIMO, currently lives in the United Arab Emirates, where she studies at the Abu Dhabi branch of the Sorbonne. Maher Assad's daughter, Sham, also lives there, in accordance with a special agreement with the UAE authorities.
Bashar Assad's government fell in December 2024, after which he fled to Russia. According to media reports, before leaving, Assad took cash, valuables, documents and electronic devices containing classified data.