One year after fleeing Syria following the collapse of his rule, former president Bashar Assad is attempting to return to his former profession as an ophthalmologist, according to a detailed report published by The Guardian. Citing people familiar with the family, the report describes Assad and his relatives living largely secluded lives in Moscow and, at times, the United Arab Emirates. A source close to the family said Assad is relearning ophthalmology and studying Russian, reviving a medical career he pursued in Damascus before the Syrian civil war began.
“He is learning Russian and refreshing his knowledge in ophthalmology,” a family friend who has remained in contact with them said. “It is a field he loves. Clearly, he does not need the money. Even before the war in Syria, he regularly practiced ophthalmology in Damascus.” The source suggested that Moscow’s wealthy elite could eventually become his clientele.
According to the report, the Assad family is believed to be living in Rublyovka, an affluent Moscow suburb known for housing members of Russia’s political and business elite. Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Kyiv in 2014, is also reported to reside in the area.
Despite their comfortable surroundings, family members are largely cut off from Syrian and Russian elite circles they once frequented. “Assad has very little contact with the outside world, if any at all,” the family friend said. “He is in touch only with a few people who were with him in the palace, such as Mansour Azzam and Yasser Ibrahim,” referring to a former minister and a close associate of Assad.
A source close to the Kremlin told The Guardian that Assad has become “irrelevant” to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s political elite. “Putin has no patience for leaders who have lost their grip on power,” the source said. “Assad is no longer seen as influential or even as an interesting guest to invite to dinner.”
Assad fled Damascus with his sons in the early morning hours of December 8, 2024, as Syrian rebels advanced toward the capital from the north and south. Escorted by Russian soldiers, they were taken to the Hmeimim air base and flown out of the country. Assad did not warn extended family members or close allies within the regime of the impending collapse, leaving them to fend for themselves.
A friend of Maher Assad, Bashar Assad’s brother and a senior military officer, said Maher repeatedly tried to reach him by phone in the final days. “Maher called Bashar for days, but he did not answer,” the friend said. “He stayed in the palace until the very last moment. The rebels found the embers of his water pipe still warm. Maher, not Bashar, helped others escape. Bashar took care only of himself.”
Eli Khattab, the lawyer for Rifaat Assad, Bashar Assad’s uncle, described frantic calls from clients unsure how to flee Syria after the president’s departure. When they reached the Hmeimim base, Khattab said, Russian soldiers could not understand them. “They told the soldiers they were members of the Assad family, but the soldiers did not speak English or Arabic,” he said. “Eight of them had to sleep in their cars outside the base.” Only after intervention by a senior Russian official were they able to leave for Oman.
In the months after the family’s flight, Assad drew little attention from former allies. Relatives gathered in Moscow to support Asma Assad, the former first lady and a British-born citizen, who had long been battling leukemia and had received treatment in Moscow even before the regime fell. A source familiar with her medical condition said she recovered following experimental treatment carried out under the supervision of Russian security services.
One year after Ahmed al-Sharaa emerged as Syria’s new leader, Assad is now seeking to speak publicly. He reportedly planned interviews with Russia’s RT network and a popular right-wing American podcast, but is awaiting approval from Russian authorities. According to The Guardian, Russia has blocked him from making any public appearances.
In a rare November interview with Iraqi media about Assad’s life in Moscow, Russia’s ambassador to Iraq, Alperus Kotrashev, confirmed the restrictions. “Assad is allowed to live here, but he cannot engage in political activity,” the ambassador said. “Have you heard anything from him? You have not, because he is not allowed to, but he is safe and living.”
While Assad remains silent, his children have continued their lives, albeit under dramatically changed circumstances. “They are quite confused, still somewhat in shock,” a family friend who met several of them this year said. “They are just getting used to life without being the first family.”
The only public appearance by members of the Assad family since the fall of the regime — without Bashar Assad — was at the June 30 graduation ceremony of daughter Zein, who received a degree in international relations from MGIMO University, Moscow’s elite institute for training Russia’s ruling class. A photo on MGIMO’s official website shows the 22-year-old Zein alongside other graduates. Video from the ceremony shows family members in the audience, including Asma Assad and her two sons, Hafez, 24, and Kareem, 21. Classmates said the Assad family did not remain afterward for photos, unlike other families.
Hafez Assad, once groomed as a potential successor, has disappeared from public view since posting a Telegram video in February in which he presented his version of the family’s escape from Damascus. He denied abandoning allies and claimed Moscow ordered them to leave Syria. Syrians identified his location in Moscow from the video, after which Hafez shut down most of his social media accounts. According to the report, he later opened new accounts under a pseudonym taken from an American children’s series about a dyslexic detective.
According to a source close to the family, Asma Assad and the children spend much of their time shopping, filling their home in Russia with luxury goods. Leaks from Russia indicated that Zein regularly purchases designer clothing, is registered at a high-end manicure salon and holds a membership at an upscale Moscow gym.
The children frequently travel to the United Arab Emirates, and Asma Assad has joined them on at least one trip. Even during their years in power, the UAE was a favored destination for the family and initially they had hoped to relocate there from Moscow. However, the report said Emirati authorities were uncomfortable hosting the deposed Syrian dictator.