Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday, 8th December.
The source further revealed that a deal had been reached to ensure the safety of Russian military bases, including the strategically important naval facility in Tartous.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier that Assad had left Syria and had issued ‘orders’ for a peaceful transfer of power after rebel fighters entered Damascus unopposed on Sunday, effectively ending nearly six decades of his family’s rule.
“Syrian President Assad of Syria and members of his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” the Interfax news agency quoted the unnamed Kremlin source as saying.
The same source indicated that Russia continued to favour a political resolution to the Syrian crisis, where Moscow had supported Assad throughout the protracted civil war. Negotiations, the source said, should be resumed under the auspices of the United Nations. Additionally, Syrian opposition leaders reportedly agreed to guarantee the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria.
Russia, a steadfast ally of Assad since its military intervention in 2015, is now grappling to maintain its geopolitical influence in the Middle East. This includes securing its strategic military assets, notably the Hmeimim air base in Latakia province and the Tartous naval facility on Syria’s coast.
The Tartous facility, a vital Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, has enabled Moscow to use Syria as a transit point for deploying military contractors across Africa. Western military analysts have warned that losing Tartous would severely impair Russia’s ability to project power in the Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa.
Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that both military bases had been placed on high alert, though it downplayed the immediacy of any threat.
“There is currently no serious threat to their security,” the ministry announced while confirming Assad’s resignation and departure from Syria.
“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power,” the ministry stated. “Russia did not participate in these negotiations.”
There were unverified media reports suggesting that Assad had been in Moscow—where his elder son is said to study—when rebel forces advanced into Aleppo late last month, before briefly returning to Syria.
On Sunday, Reuters journalists noted that the Syrian flag had been removed from the flagpole outside the country’s embassy in Moscow. However, TASS quoted embassy officials stating that the embassy would operate as usual on Monday.
