On 08 December 2024, rebels captured the Syrian capital, Damascus, toppling Bashar al-Assad’s government and bringing an end to the Assad family’s five-decade rule over the country. Reports suggest that Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia. In this context, a photo (here, here & here) purportedly showing Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma al-Assad, is being widely shared on social media claiming to be a recent picture of the couple in Russia. Let’s verify the authenticity of this claim.
Claim: Photo of Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma al-Assad in Moscow, Russia after rebels toppled his Government in Syria.
Fact: The photo shows Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, visiting Syrian earthquake survivors in the city of Aleppo in February 2023. Although reports suggest that Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia, this viral photo is old and unrelated to his asylum in Russia. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to YouTube videos (here & here) uploaded on 10 February 2023, featuring the same visuals of Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma. According to the details provided in the videos, the visuals depict Assad and his wife visiting victims of the earthquake in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Media reports (here, here & here) featuring the same visuals confirm that Assad and his wife visited Aleppo University Hospital on 10 February 2023 to meet survivors of the devastating earthquake which struck Turkey and several regions in Syria on 06 February 2023.
While reports suggest that Assad and his family have been granted asylum in Russia, the viral image dates back to February 2023 and shows Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma visiting earthquake victims in Aleppo, Syria.
To sum up, an old and unrelated photo is being misrepresented as that of Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma in Russia after fleeing Syria.
