It is not yet entirely clear exactly where Bashar al-Assad is.
Syria’s embassy in Russia says the ousted president is in Moscow, but that is described as hard-to-verify information and he has yet to be seen in the Russian capital.
Over the weekend, a picture of Assad circulated on social media where he was said to be walking the streets of Moscow – but it turned out to be almost a year old and also taken in Aleppo.
“Strategic interruption”
It is clear, however, that he was granted asylum by Russia, with which he was an ally.
Rouzbeh Parsi at the Foreign Policy Institute has the Middle Eastern countries’ relationship with Russia as one of her areas of expertise.
– For Russia, it is a strategic break because through Assad they have had influence in the Middle East, he says, but adds that the loss of Assad’s regime is greater for Iran, which has used Syria to create strategic depth vis-à-vis Israel.
Could become a burden for Russia
When asked what the future will look like for Bashar al-Assad if he settles in Russia, Parsi replies that he can only speculate but that the former president could become a nuisance.
– Right now he is of no use to Russia, he says and continues:
– Just like with many other such figures – political leaders who fall away – they become a burden. It may be difficult in this case for Russia to try to create a relationship with the groups that will rule in the future in Syria because they gave protection to Assad.
Could demand the money back
The Assad family’s fortune has been rumored to be between one and two billion dollars.
A number like that US State Department could not be established during an audit in 2022 as the assets are believed to have been spread across several different accounts around the world under false names.
Rouzbeh Parsi at the Foreign Policy Institute says that a new Syrian government with international recognition could possibly get rid of the money, citing that it belongs to the Syrian people.
– Then how it looks legally, I don’t know. But it would be a way to make sure the money goes where it belongs.