In 2011, a group of teenage boys spray-painted a warning on a wall in their school playground: “It’s your turn, Doctor.” This graffiti was a thinly veiled threat aimed at Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, a London-trained ophthalmologist, suggesting he would be the next Arab dictator to fall during the Arab Spring uprisings.
It took 14 years—a period marked by 620,000 deaths and nearly 14 million people displaced—but eventually, the doctor’s turn came. Assad was deposed, fleeing to Moscow in the middle of the night.
Now, after giving up his dictatorship for a life of gilded exile in Moscow, Assad is reportedly returning to his medical roots. According to a well-placed source, the leader of the Middle East’s last Ba’athist regime is back in the classroom, taking ophthalmology lessons.
“He’s studying Russian and brushing up on his ophthalmology again,” said a friend of the Assad family who has kept in touch. “It’s a passion of his; he obviously doesn’t need the money. Even before the war in Syria began, he used to regularly practice ophthalmology in Damascus.” The friend suggested that Moscow’s wealthy elite could become his target clientele.
A year after his regime fell in Syria, the Assad family is living a quiet, isolated life of luxury in Moscow and the UAE. Through a family friend, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data, rare insights have emerged into the lives of this once iron-fisted ruling family, now living in reclusion.
According to two sources familiar with the situation, the family likely resides in Rublyovka, a prestigious gated community for Moscow’s elite. There, they would mingle with figures like former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Kyiv in 2014 and is believed to live in the area.
Financially, the Assads are secure. After Western sanctions cut them off from much of the global financial system in 2011—following Assad’s bloody crackdown on protesters—the family moved much of their wealth to Moscow, beyond the reach of Western regulators.
Despite their comfortable surroundings, the family is isolated from the Syrian and Russian elite circles they once frequented. Bashar’s last-minute escape from Syria left his allies feeling abandoned, and his Russian handlers now restrict his contact with senior regime officials.
“It’s a very quiet life,” said the family friend. “He has very little, if any, contact with the outside world. He’s only in touch with a couple of people from his palace, like Mansour Azzam [former Syrian minister of presidency affairs] and Yassar Ibrahim [Assad’s top economic crony].”
A source close to the Kremlin said Assad is also largely “irrelevant” to Putin and Russia’s political elite. “Putin has little patience for leaders who lose their grip on power, and Assad is no longer seen as a figure of influence or even an interesting guest to invite to dinner,” the source explained.
Assad fled Damascus with his sons in the early hours of December 8, 2024, as Syrian rebels closed in on the capital from the north and south. They were met by a Russian military escort and taken to the Khmeimim airbase, from which they were flown out of the country.
Assad did not warn his extended family or close regime allies of the impending collapse, leaving them to fend for themselves.
A friend of Maher al-Assad—Bashar’s brother and a top military official—who knows many former palace members, said: “Maher had been calling Bashar for days, but he wouldn’t pick up. He stayed in the palace until the last second; rebels found his shisha coals still warm. It was Maher, not Bashar, who helped others escape.”He only cared about himself.
Rifaat al-Assad’s lawyer, Elie Hatem, recounted how his clients called him in a panic after Bashar fled, unsure how to escape Syria. “When they arrived at Khmeimim, they told the Russian soldiers they were Assads, but the soldiers didn’t speak English or Arabic. So, eight of them had to sleep in their cars in front of the base,” Hatem said. It was only after a senior Russian official intervened that the family managed to reach Oman.
In the first months after the Assads’ escape, Bashar was not focused on his former regime allies. The family gathered in Moscow to support Asma, the British-born former first lady of Syria, who had been battling leukemia for years and whose condition had become critical. She had been receiving treatment in Moscow even before the regime’s fall.
According to a source familiar with Asma’s health, the former first lady has recovered after undergoing experimental therapy under the supervision of Russia’s security services.
With Asma’s health stabilized, the former dictator is now keen to share his side of the story. He has arranged interviews with RT and a popular right-wing American podcaster but is awaiting approval from Russian authorities to make any media appearance.
Russia appears to have blocked Assad from public appearances. In a rare November interview with Iraqi media about Assad’s life in Moscow, Russia’s ambassador to Iraq, Elbrus Kutrashev, confirmed that the toppled dictator is barred from public activity. “Assad may live here but cannot engage in political activities… He has no right to engage in any media or political activity. Have you heard anything from him? You haven’t, because he is not allowed to—but he is safe and alive,” Kutrashev said.
In contrast, life for the Assad children seems to continue with relatively little disruption as they adjust to their new lives as part of Moscow’s elite. A family friend who met some of the children a few months ago said, “They’re kind of dazed. I think they’re still in a bit of shock. They’re just getting used to life without being the first family.”
The only time the Assad family—without Bashar—has been seen together in public since their regime’s end was at his daughter Zein al-Assad’s graduation on June 30. She received a degree in international relations from MGIMO, the elite Moscow university attended by much of Russia’s ruling class.
A photograph on MGIMO’s official website shows the 22-year-old Zein standing with other graduates. In a separate, blurry video from the event, members of the Assad family, including Asma and her two sons Hafez, 24, and Karim, 21, can be seen in the audience.
Two of Zein’s classmates who attended the ceremony confirmed that parts of the Assad family were present but kept a low profile. “The family did not stay long and did not take any pictures with Zein on stage like other families,” said one former classmate, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hafez, once groomed as Bashar’s potential successor, has largely withdrawn from public view since posting a Telegram video in February. In it, he offered his own account of the family’s flight from Damascus, denying they had abandoned their allies and claiming Moscow ordered them to leave Syria. Syrians quickly geolocated Hafez, who recorded the video while walking the streets of Moscow.
Hafez has closed most of his social media accounts, instead registering under a pseudonym taken from an American children’s series about a young detective with dyslexia, according to leaked data. The children and their mother spend much of their time shopping, filli…The Assad family is furnishing their new home in Russia with luxury items, according to a source close to them. Leaked Russian data reveals that Zein al-Assad often shops for high-end fashion, is registered at an upscale pedicure salon, and holds a membership at an elite Moscow gym.
The Assad children also make frequent trips to the UAE, with their mother Asma joining them on at least one occasion. Leaked flight records from 2017 to 2023, reviewed by the Guardian, indicate the UAE had become a favored destination for the family even while they were in power. Karim and Hafez made repeated journeys between Abu Dhabi, Moscow, and Syria, including flights in November 2022 and September 2023.
Initially, the family hoped to relocate from Moscow to the UAE, a more familiar environment where they did not face the language barrier and social challenges they encountered in Russia, a family friend noted. However, they now understand a permanent move is unlikely anytime soon, as even the UAE—home to many of the world’s discreet elites—is uneasy about hosting Assad.
When rebels overran parts of Syria, they shared images discovered at Assad’s properties. Social media was inundated with photos of a young Bashar in his underwear and swimming—a stark contrast to the authoritarian image that had stared out at Syrians from every street corner.
This marked the first crack in the steely facade of a dictator whose rule had seemed unshakeable until about a year ago. Yet Syrians still know little about the man who presided over 14 years of conflict that left hundreds of thousands dead.
Kamal Alam, a former non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who participated in track two diplomacy during the civil war, said: “It took the regime’s fall for those pictures to emerge. The family is very private and never liked exposure—that hasn’t changed.”
Shaun Walker contributed reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the reported situation regarding the Assad family in Russia
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Is it true the Assad family is living in Russia
Yes multiple credible international reports including from sources like Reuters and The Wall Street Journal indicate that key members of Bashar alAssads immediate family including his wife Asma and their children have been residing in Russia for an extended period
2 Why would they be in Russia
Russia is Syrias most powerful international ally It provides a high level of security and political protection for the family far from the ongoing conflict and instability in Syria
3 What does life of luxury mean in this context
Reports suggest they live in exclusive highsecurity compounds have access to elite services and maintain a lifestyle starkly contrasting with the widespread poverty destruction and humanitarian crisis experienced by millions of Syrians after over a decade of war
4 Is Bashar alAssad himself living fulltime in Russia
No according to reports President Assad is said to travel between Syria and Russia He maintains his official role in Syria but frequently visits his family in Russia
Intermediate Advanced Questions
5 What is the evidence for Bashar alAssad returning to ophthalmology studies
The reports are based on claims from sources familiar with the matter as cited by major news outlets The suggestion is that he is pursuing further medical education or engaging in academic activities related to his original profession possibly at a prestigious Russian institution
6 Why is this news significant or controversial
It is highly controversial for several reasons
Perception of Abandonment It creates a powerful image of the Syrian leadership living in safety and luxury abroad while the country they lead remains in ruins
Moral Political Hypocrisy It contrasts sharply with the regimes narrative of standing with the Syrian people and sharing their hardships
Use of Resources It raises questions about the diversion of state resources to fund this lifestyle amid a crippled Syrian economy
7 Doesnt this undermine his authority as President of Syria
Many analysts believe it does It can be seen as damaging to his legitimacy portraying him as a detached leader more focused on personal and family comfort than national recovery However within the areas he controls his security apparatus maintains power
