Assad Enjoys a Life of Quiet Luxury in Russia
This 2022 photo shows then-Syrian President Bashar Assad, second left, and his wife, Asma, center, with children Zein, left, Karim, right, and Hafez in Aleppo, Syria. (Syrian Presidency Facebook page via AP)
Bashar al-Assad’s life after leaving office appears less like a secretive bunker and more like a secure gated compound near Moscow. The Syrian leader is reportedly even revisiting the medical career he once set aside for politics, according to the Guardian.
A year after rebels captured Damascus and forced Assad to leave the city, the newspaper reports that he and his family have settled into a relatively quiet, luxurious lifestyle, with their wealth long secured in Moscow, beyond the reach of Western regulators. The family—including his wife Asma, daughter Zein, and sons Hafez and Karim—is thought to reside in Rublyovka, the heavily guarded district west of Moscow that has long been home to Russia’s political and business elite, as well as exiled leaders like former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.
“He’s studying Russian and brushing up on his ophthalmology again,” a family friend told the Guardian. “It’s a passion of his; he obviously doesn’t need the money.” There’s even a possibility he could begin treating Moscow’s elite in the near future.
Politically, Assad’s influence is limited by his host country, and Euro News reports that he has not been allowed to speak to the media. Still, life in exile isn’t without perks: leaked information suggests regular high-end shopping, luxury services, and frequent travel to the United Arab Emirates, though a permanent move there doesn’t appear likely at this time.
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