Inside Assad's Moscow Exile: From Voluntary Resignation to Luxury Living

Dec. 14, 2024

Erbil (Kurdistan24) - Consistent with the Russian account, the ousted Syrian president stepped down willingly, and issued instructions for a nonviolent handover of power prior to heading to the airport.

He was accompanied by several family members and a small clique of loyal guards and servants. 

It was also reported that he got on the plane and left Syria, apparently for the last time, for his first exile in Moscow.

Russian officials have remained mainly tightlipped about the specificity of circumstances regarding Bashar al-Assad's final moments in his palace. 

Nevertheless, the official description, along with Kremlin-affiliated media explanation, maintains on his resignation while rejecting claims of a nighttime escape aboard a pre-arranged Russian aircraft. 

The permissible difference between these two scenarios holds noteworthy importance. 

A voluntary resignation and power transfer would bar Assad from being involved in future political activities or using his exile in Russia or elsewhere to initiate counter-operations against those who took power in his country.

There's also a vital difference in his temporary status. 

While human rights organizations and diplomats speaking to al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper think of him as a political refugee for now, the Russian Foreign Ministry statement granted him asylum on a humanitarian base.

The narrative being that Bashar al-Assad’s wife health condition was used as the basis of this status. 

An important discrepancy exists here, as Moscow has seldom approved political asylum since the Soviet Union's collapse. 

Officially, the exiled Syrian president's status remains undecided, but according to Moscow-based Kommersant newspaper, Bashar al-Assad could become Russia's first political asylum recipient since 1992, despite some sources implying that his presence is merely temporary.

Over the past 32 years, only North Korean citizen Kim Myong Soo, a Moscow University student , and Azerbaijan's first president, Ayaz Mutallibov, were granted such status.

Normally, foreigners who escape to Russia receive temporary asylum, as the cases for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and former NSA employee Edward Snowden confirm this assertion. 

According to Snowden's attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, political asylum comes by direct presidential order, while brief humanitarian asylum, decided by the Interior Ministry's immigration service, suggests fewer rights and necessitates annual renewal.

Under temporary asylum, Assad could be given medical insurance and a bank card, with rights to live and work in Russia under local laws. 

Typically, holders of temporary asylum relinquish their national passports to immigration authorities in exchange for a temporary asylum certificate.

Yet, the fleeing Syrian president probably will not face such intricacies. 

Legal residency status is enough for what is potentially a long and luxurious life in the snow-covered city. 

Reports hint he might spend spring and summer holidays at a luxurious property he apparently possesses in Sochi on the Black Sea.

At present, it's known that the exiled president resides with his wife and children - Hafez, Karim, and Zein - in a comfortable apartment in central Moscow.

It was reported that Hafez, 21, defended his doctoral thesis at Moscow State University in late November. Asma Assad was present her son's certificate ceremony by special invitation from university president Viktor Sadovnichiy. 

Apparently, the family had not expected that they might never return to Damascus after this occasion.

Foreign media stated at the time that even Bashar al-Assad was in Moscow, staying with his family at the well-known Four Seasons Hotel. They told al-Sharq al-Awsat the visit was personal, not political.

Notably, as events unfolded in Syria, Assad decided to leave his family in the Russian capital and hurriedly went back to Damascus, only to leave his country nights later for the final time. 

Luxurious Life Awaits

Bashar al-Assad does not need lengthy hotel stays, as he and relatives possess several luxury apartments in Moscow's most prestigious areas. 

According to previous reports by Western and Russian media platforms and the anti-corruption NGO Global Witness, Assad's maternal relatives (the Makhloufs) possessed 19 apartments in the expensive Moscow City complex over six years, the total value of which is approximately $40 million.

Records specify most properties are owned by Assad's cousins (Hafez, Iyad, and Ihab Makhlouf, sister Kinda Makhlouf, Razan Othman - wife of another presidential cousin, and businessman Rami Makhlouf).

Russian media outlets assert Assad's relatives didn't acquire Moscow properties but obtained them as revenue shares from major investments in the Neva Towers, formerly the Renaissance Moscow Towers, project.

The new revelation here is that Assad stays in some of these apartments, while others accommodate an army of servants, translators, drivers, and loyal security guards who also moved to Russia. 

Transfer of Funds

Seemingly, Assad didn't just move servants and guards. There are reports that discuss the transfer of billions of dollars, though figures may be greatly overstated. 

This was circled by some media platforms citing Khalid Beyye, a former intelligence officer reportedly close to Assad. These details were initially published by Turkey's Gazette and consequently picked up by Russian-speaking Ukrainian media outlets.

According to Beyye, the money was trafficked in various stages, though the intelligence officer didn't disclose details about the transfer mechanisms for these large sums.

Concurrently, Beyye stated that there was conflict between pro-Russian and pro-Iranian soldiers in Assad's army during the crucial final days, especially after Aleppo's fall.

He stated that the first confrontation happened between Aleppo commander Major General Mohammad Al-Safadli and the Russian-backed Major General Suheil Hassan, after which information exchange between military intelligence and the army ceased. 

Beyye also said, "The defeat began the day Aleppo fell."

Irrespective of the accuracy of this officer's claims about Assad's smuggled wealth, Western sources, including the U.S. State Department, estimate the Assad family's net worth between one to two billion dollars. 

However, exact calculations remain difficult as assets are "distributed and hidden across several accounts, real estate portfolios, and offshore companies."

Comfortable Retirement

It might be said that Moscow will not surrender former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to any party any time soon.

Even if the International Criminal Court demands an investigation, it is hard to imagine Assad being handed over to the opposition forces in Syria. 

As Russian researcher Yuri Lyamin said, “Bashar al-Assad will enjoy his honorable old age in Russia," noting that former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and former CIA employee Edward Snowden "have lived contentedly in Russia for many years, without contact from any foreign judicial authorities."

Orientalist Kirill Semenov adds that Assad's circumstances hasn't changed for years - he was already chased by international criminal entities but still moved freely across numerous countries. 

His stay in Russia won't compel him to adjust, except that he must forget any ideas of retaliation or efforts to start a government-in-exile, as "this will never happen," according to the orientalist.

He added that as a result of his current status, Assad will enjoy a quiet, comfortable life in Russia.