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  • February 18, 2025
Russia pressured Assad to flee and helped him disappear without a trace

Russia pressured Assad to flee and helped him disappear without a trace

Russia convinced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would lose the battle against rebel organizations in his country and offered him and his family shelter and assistance in escaping, US media reported on Wednesday.

According to reports, Russian intelligence agents organized the escape and flew Assad through an air base in Syria before switching off the plane’s transmitter to prevent tracking.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented on the reports, saying Moscow had transferred Assad to their country “in the most secure way.”

Ryabkov was further asked whether they plan to prosecute Assad for his humanitarian crimes in Syria, to which he replied that Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. However, he stated that his country would indeed be willing to consider prisoner exchanges with the United States.

In addition, it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his country’s intelligence service and demanded why it did not notice him and warned of the growing threat to the Assad regime until it was too late.