Russia Grants Asylum to Assad as Ukraine's Intelligence Rejects Plane Crash Reports

Russian authorities have reportedly granted asylum to former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his family, according to a Kremlin source. At the same time, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence has dismissed reports of Assad's death in a plane crash as disinformation.

“Bashar al-Assad's escape from Damascus was accompanied by reports of the disappearance of an Il-76T aircraft carrying the Syrian dictator from radar monitoring, allegedly due to a shootdown or an aviation accident,“ HUR  wrote.

According to HUR, Russia used this disinformation to cover up its rescue operation of the Syrian leader and a small circle of his close associates.

“The loss of Assad's plane signal from radar was likely linked to the crew’s actions, who were following instructions from the Russians and conducting the flight under their guidance,“ HUR added.

A source cited by Russian state media RIA Novosti on December 8 reported that Assad, accompanied by his family, has arrived in Moscow, where Russia extended asylum on humanitarian grounds.

According to the source, the opposition forces that overthrew Assad’s regime have guaranteed the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria. They added that Moscow is in contact with representatives of the Syrian opposition forces that have taken power and hopes to develop bilateral relations.

Later, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that al-Assad had been granted asylum in Russia. According to him, the decision was made by Vladimir Putin. Peskov added that, at the moment, "Putin has no meetings scheduled with Assad."

"We have nothing to say about Assad's current whereabouts," Peskov stated.

On December 8, Syrian opposition forces announced the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad following their capture of Damascus, ending over five decades of authoritarian rule by the Assad dynasty.