TYRANT Assad and his family may be hiding inside a luxury apartment in a Moscow skyscraper that was once Europe’s tallest.
Putin personally granted political asylum to Bashar al-Assad after he was forced to flee Syria – and now he and his family look to build a new life in Russia.
East2WestMoscow’s City of Capitals elite residential complex where deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad or his extended family own luxury property[/caption]
East2WestMoscow’s Federation Tower where deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad or his extended family owns luxury property.[/caption]
AP Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, gestures while speaking to Russian President Putin[/caption]
The Syrian dictator and his family may be living in one of the 20 Moscow apartments his extended family owns, looking to maintain their luxurious lifestyle despite being in exile.
Purchased in the prestigious Moscow City district, the apartments are said to be worth more than £30 million in recent years, showing just how safe the Assads are in their pal Putin’s country.
The majority of the apartments are in the City of Capitals complex – a twin-towered skyscraper that sat once as the tallest in Europe.
It is home to some of Russia‘s wealthiest businessmen, being only a stone’s throw from key, multinational companies.
Government ministries and five-star hotels also sit in the complex.
Images of the apartments in the luxurious complex show stunning fittings and pricey furnishings.
Other apartments are in the nearby Federation Tower which is renowned to be Moscow’s tallest building.
These apartments boast sky-high ceilings, extravagant lighting and modern furnishings with incredible panoramic views of the city.
Assad’s relatives, the Makhloufs, have long been dubbed Syria‘s second wealthiest and most important family, holding significant assets in Russia.
And to keep tens of millions outside of Syria while the civil war reached new heights, the family initially bought at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals.
Moscow City is home to roughly 10,000 people and was predominantly constructed during Russia’s oil and gas boom in the 2000s.
Its creation marked a key moment in showing evil Putin’s ambitions to transform his country into a global power.
It remains unclear whether the family will live in one of their luxurious, skyscraper apartments or whether they will be forced to stay in a government safehouse.
There is also speculation that Assad may have bought a mansion in or near St Petersburg ahead of his escape into exile.
The possibility is there that he had planned a luxury bolthole in advance in Russia’s tsarist capital, St Petersburg, where Vladimir Putin was born when it was named Leningrad.
The toppled tyrant has been out of sight since apparently arriving in Russia, evidently on Sunday, when he was granted political asylum by Putin.
A Telegram “inside-track” channel said its source suggests “in the near future the family of the [ousted] Syrian president plans to move to a villa in St. Petersburg, which they purchased in advance, where they will be under special protection”.
It also claims that the London-born wife of the former Damascus leader Asma al-Assad “has been in St. Petersburg for some time, where she is undergoing treatment for cancer”.
She was diagnosed in May with acute myeloid leukaemia – an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer.
Asma married into the horrific autocratic dynasty in 2000 and has since reportedly become accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle.
She is known for spending eye-watering amounts on home furnishings and clothes.
In private correspondence seen by Wikileaks in 2012, Asma’s spending included an eye-watering $350,000 on the Syrian palace’s furnishings and $7,000 on crystal-encrusted shoes.
The US State Department even estimates the family are collectively worth a whopping $2 billion, with their wealth kept under wraps in various accounts, shell companies and offshore tax havens.
But a large place where their wealth is maintained is in real estate portfolios – like the Moscow apartments.
The Assad Dynasty
THE Assad dynasty in Syria began with Hafez al-Assad – who seized power in 1971 through a military coup and established an authoritarian regime.
His rule focused on centralised government control, military strength, and the suppression of dissent, aligning Syria closely with the Soviet Union and maintaining an anti-Israel stance.
Upon Hafez’s death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad succeeded him.
Initially, there were hopes for reform under Bashar, but these hopes faded as he continued his father’s repressive policies.
The situation worsened in 2011 with the Syrian Civil War, part of the Arab Spring, marked by brutal crackdowns on protestors.
Following years of humanitarian crisis and international condemnation, Assad was overthrown – despite having support from Russia and Iran.
After seizing Damascus in a swift and decisive offensive, rebel forces declared victory and announced that the city was “free of Assad.”
The dictator fled the capital on Sunday, reportedly aboard a plane that disappeared from radars.
He has been given refuge in Moscow and is currently under Russian protection.
The collapse of Assad’s regime ignited celebrations across Syria.
In the capital, thousands poured into the streets, waving rebel flags and lighting flares.
Statues of Assad and his late father, Hafez, were toppled in symbolic acts of defiance.
The Assad dynasty has profoundly shaped Syria’s modern history through its authoritarian rule and the ongoing conflict.
East2WestThe interior of one of the apartments owned by Assad in Moscow[/caption]
East2WestThe reception of a flat owned by Assad in Moscow’s City of Capitals elite residential complex[/caption]
Bashar al-Assad (C-L) and his wife Asma al-Assad (C) walking with their children, Hafez (2nd-R), Karim (R) and Zein (L); they have all been granted political asylum in Russia
East2WestMoscow’s City of Capitals elite residential complex where deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad or his extended family own luxury property[/caption]
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