Bashar al-Assad’s British wife is reportedly planning to divorce him and move back to the UK.
The Assads fled to Russia earlier in December after their regime in Syria was finally toppled during an offensive the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces.
Asma al-Assad is reportedly unhappy with life in exile and under guard in Moscow, and has asked a Russian court for permission to flee for London, Turkish media reports.
The 49-year-old is a dual British-Syrian national. She was born and raised in London before moving to Syria in 2000 and marrying Assad later that year at the age of 25.
Although his request for asylum was accepted by Vladimir Putin, he and his wife are currently believed to be living under ‘severe restrictions’ in the Russian capital.
The dictator’s assets and money are reported to be frozen, and he is barred from leaving the city or engaging in political activities.
The family had assets which include 270 kilograms of gold, over £1 billion in cash and 18 apartments in Moscow which they are currently unable to access.
Asma and the couple’s three children were already in Russia, where reports say she has been undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer.
It is rumoured that she would prefer to be treated in a UK hospital, which has prompted the move.
Asked about the reports in a news conference call, Dmitry Peskov said: ‘No, they do not correspond to reality.’
The Kremlin spokesperson also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.
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Russia was a staunch ally of the Assad regime and offered it military support during the civil war.
Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, has not been granted asylum in Russia, and his request is still under review, according to the Saudi and Turkish reports.
Maher and his family are under house arrest in the country.
His Baath regime had been in power for 61 years before finally being toppled this month.
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