It's officially confirmed: Russia safely transported Bashar al-Assad

The Kremlin announced yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided that Bashar al-Assad will receive asylum in Russia.

"He is safe, which shows that Russia is acting as it should in such an emergency situation," Ryabkov said, saying he would not go into details about what happened and how the situation was resolved.

When asked whether Russia will extradite Assad for trial, Ryabkov replied that Russia is not a member of the convention that established the International Criminal Court, so it is not obliged to comply with the court's requests.

Assad's fall represents a major blow to Iran and Russia, which intervened in Syria during the 13-year civil war to support his regime, despite Western demands that he leave power, the media house points out.

Russia has supported Syria since the beginning of the Cold War, recognizing its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to free itself from French colonial rule.

Mohammed al-Bashir was appointed as the new interim prime minister of the transitional government of Syria until March 1, 2025.