Assad's family lives in luxury in Moscow, while the former Syrian dictator himself is preparing to work as an ophthalmologist
While Bashar al-Assad tries to return to medicine, his children spend large sums on luxurious purchases in the Russian capital and Dubai. The Guardian provides the details.
Bashar al-Assad with his wife Asma and children in Aleppo. 2022. Photo: Bashar al-Assad's social media.
In 2011, at the very beginning of the "Arab Spring," Syrian schoolchildren wrote graffiti on a wall: "Now it's your turn, doctor." This was a hint at Bashar al-Assad, who received an education as an ophthalmologist in London before his presidency.
But Assad's turn only came after 14 years of war, in which, according to estimates, hundreds of thousands of people died and millions became refugees. As a result, when rebels approached Damascus from the north and south, Assad fled – at night, with his sons, towards Russia.
Sources close to the family, as well as interlocutors in Russia and Syria, told The Guardian about the former dictator's isolated but luxurious life.
According to an informed source, the former Syrian leader has gone back to studying.
"He is learning Russian and refreshing his knowledge of ophthalmology. This is his passion; he clearly doesn't need money. Even before the war in Syria, he regularly practiced ophthalmology in Damascus," a family friend said, suggesting that if Assad does start practicing, his potential clients could be wealthy Moscow residents.
Bashar al-Assad. Photo: social media
The Assad family most likely lives in the prestigious Rublyovka — a gated community for the wealthy near Moscow. According to various reports, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Kyiv in 2014, also lives there.
In the first months after their escape, the family focused on the health of Asma al-Assad, the former first lady. She had been battling leukemia for several years, and her condition was critical. According to sources, after experimental therapy under the supervision of Russian special services, she recovered and is now stable.
Life in Isolation
Financially, the family is reportedly secure. After the 2011 sanctions, imposed amid a brutal crackdown on protests in Syria, they transferred a significant portion of their assets, as the publication writes, to Moscow — a jurisdiction much harder for Western regulators to reach.
However, luxury does not equate to freedom: according to testimonies, the family today lives in isolation and is much less involved in the circles they once frequented. Bashar al-Assad communicates with almost no one, apart from a couple of former associates.
A source close to the Kremlin notes: in the Russian political elite, Assad is now "uninteresting" and "uninfluential," and Vladimir Putin allegedly dislikes leaders who lose power.
This was confirmed by Russia's ambassador to Iraq, Elbrus Kutrashev: "Assad can live here, but he cannot engage in politics. He has no right to engage in any media or political activity. (...) But he is alive and safe."
Bashar al-Assad with Vladimir Putin in summer 2024. Photo: Valery Sharifulin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Escape: Abandoned Allies and Relatives
The Guardian also reveals dramatic details of Assad's escape on the night of December 8, 2024. He fled Damascus with his sons, without warning even his closest relatives and allies. They were met by a Russian military escort and taken to the Russian Khmeimim airbase, from where they were flown out of the country.
His brother Maher, a high-ranking military officer, called Bashar for several days, but he didn't answer. As a result, it was Maher, not the president, who helped others escape while the rebels were already entering the palace. Bashar's uncle, Rifaat al-Assad's family, was forced to spend the night in cars outside the Russian Khmeimim airbase until a high-ranking Russian official intervened. Ultimately, they reportedly managed to travel to Amman.
Bashar and Asma al-Assad on their wedding day. Photo: social media
The Children's New Life
Unlike their father, Assad's children quickly adapted to the life of Moscow's "golden youth." According to a source, they spend a lot of time shopping.
The only time the Assad family — without Bashar — was seen together in public in Moscow was on June 30, at his daughter Zein al-Assad's graduation ceremony. The 22-year-old daughter of the former Syrian dictator received her diploma from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations that day.
Zein's classmates noted that the Assads stayed in the shadows, did not take photos with Zein on stage like other families, and left quickly. Leaked databases show that the girl is registered in elite beauty salons and gyms in Moscow.
Son Hafez, once groomed as a successor, closed most of his social media accounts after he posted a video in February on Telegram with his version of the escape from Damascus, and Syrians quickly identified his location. The boy registered accounts under a pseudonym from an American children's series.
Screenshot of a video posted by Hafez al-Assad in February 2025.
As journalists found out, the children regularly visit the UAE, and at least once, their mother Asma was with them on such a trip. Initially, the family hoped to move there permanently, as Dubai is more familiar and understandable to them than cold Moscow. However, as The Guardian writes, even the Emirates, which have sheltered many dubious wealthy individuals, are not yet ready to accept the toxic ex-dictator for permanent residence.
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