Russian Foreign Ministry Reaffirms Decision on Assad's Asylum

Georgy Borisenko noted that Russia granted political asylum to Bashar al-Assad on humanitarian grounds.

Moscow, October 14. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko said that Russia's decision to grant political asylum to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is irreversible and the current government in Damascus understands this.

In an interview with RTVI, this high-ranking Russian diplomat said: "Our Syrian partners know very well that Russia has granted political asylum to Bashar al-Assad for humanitarian reasons. And the current government in Damascus knows that this Russian decision is irreversible."

Armed opposition units in Syria launched a massive attack against Syrian army positions in late November 2024. They entered Damascus on December 8, as Assad stepped down and fled the country. Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (which is illegal in Russia), became the de facto new leader of Syria. On January 29, 2025, he announced himself as interim president for a transitional period of four to five years.