Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Russia with his family, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reports, citing a Kremlin source.
“Assad, along with members of his family, has arrived in Moscow. Russia, based on humanitarian considerations, has granted them asylum,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
It was also reported that Russian military personnel remain in Syria awaiting evacuation. Pro-Kremlin military bloggers writing on Telegram noted that at least one group of Russian soldiers might be encircled, with negotiations underway to establish a corridor for them to withdraw.
On the night of December 8, several aircraft, including heavy military transport planes of the An-124 and Il-76 variety, arrived at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia. Data from Flightradar24, published by the OSINTtechnical project, suggest that these were evacuation flights.
In addition, at 16:00 Moscow time on Sunday, the Black Sea Strategy Institute reported that Flightradar24 data showed two Iranian transport planes had landed at Khmeimim Air Base within the past hour.
The specific aircraft that transported Assad and his family to Russia remains unknown. BBC Russian Service, referencing Flightradar24 data, suggests it could have been a Russian plane that departed from Latakia several hours ago, then turned off its transponder and headed towards Russia. The flight may have originated from the Russian military base in Khmeimim or from Latakia Airport.