The Russian government officially denied claims on Monday claiming that Asma al-Assad, born in Britain and married to ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, was seeking a divorce and planning to leave Russia.
The claims, which circulated in Turkish and Arabic media outlets, suggested that Asma al-Assad had initiated divorce proceedings in Russia, where the Assad family received asylum this month after opposition forces captured Damascus in a rebellion.
It was said that the former Syrian first lady filed the request in a Russian court and was awaiting approval to move to UK, after expressing her unhappiness with life in Moscow.
The Kremlin also dismissed reports of restrictions on Assad and freezing his assets. This came after the claims that Assad cannot leave Moscow or participate in political activities. Additionally, Russian authorities froze his assets, which reportedly included 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion, and 18 Moscow apartments.
When questioned during a conference call about the accuracy of the claims, Peskov affirmed, “No they do not correspond to reality.”
Bashar al-Assad along with his wife were granted asylum in Russia after being removed from power in early December by rebel forces under Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leadership. The Baath regime, which Assad led, had held power for 61 years.