After being ousted from power over a week ago and fleeing to Russia with his family, former Syrian leader Bashar Assad made his first public remarks on Monday.

Assad asserted in his statement that he had no plans to escape to Russia and intended to continue opposing rebel forces. However, he did comply with a request from Russia to leave a military base, which was under threat from a drone strike. This statement was shared on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel.

“At no time did I think about resigning or becoming a refugee,” he stated, though it remains uncertain who manages the channel or if he authored the message himself. Assad indicated that he arrived at the Russian military base in Latakia province to “supervise combat operations” only to find Syrian troops retreating from the area.

Assad held power for 24 years, and before him, his late father Hafez was in office for nearly three decades. The Assad family maintained strict control over Syria, imprisoning those who opposed their rule. Presently, much of Syria is controlled by the insurgent group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Russia has granted asylum to the Assad family. Their abrupt departure has sparked speculation about the future for Syria, the millions displaced due to Assad, the family’s wealth, ongoing corruption, and their potential activities in Russia.

Assessing the Wealth of the Assad Family

The U.S. State Department believes that the Assad family’s net worth could be as high as $2 billion, hidden across various accounts, real estate investments, companies, and offshore tax havens.

It remains uncertain how much access they will have to this wealth while in Russia.

The Financial Times reported earlier that throughout the Syrian civil war, the family acquired numerous upscale apartments in Moscow’s City of Capitals, a prestigious skyscraper area. This week, the British newspaper also indicated that the family transferred $250 million to Russia over the past two years.

Ayman Abdel Nour, a former college friend of Assad and editor-in-chief of All4Syria, a prominent independent news site, stated that Assad moved cash and valuables to Russia using multiple chartered flights leading up to their exit.

“He has funds disguised under various names,” Nour said. “This is why he took his financial advisor, Yasser Ibrahim, along to Moscow. He knows all the codes and passwords for their bank accounts.”

Syria is known as the largest producer of Captagon, an illicit stimulant popular in the Middle East, and analysts estimate the Assad regime earned billions annually from its trafficking.

Who is Asma, Bashar Assad’s Wife?

Asma Assad, 49, was born in London as Asma Fawaz Akhras.

Her father worked as a cardiologist while her mother served as a diplomat at the Syrian embassy. They first crossed paths during a family vacation in Syria and later got to know each other better while he was studying ophthalmology in the UK.

Initially, she drew frequent comparisons to Princess Diana for her youthful elegance and style. Asma Fawaz Akhras was not only glamorous but also highly intelligent, having studied computer science in college before thriving in the competitive London investment banking sector. After her marriage to the president, she took on the role of First Lady of Syria, intending to use her business acumen to reshape the country’s image.

Asma Assad sought to foster entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and progressiveness. She was involved in numerous initiatives, including creating information centers for children and promoting cultural heritage.

“It’s about everyone taking shared responsibility in moving this country forward, about empowerment in a civil society. We all have a stake in this country; it will be what we make it,” she explained to Vogue magazine in a now-removed article from 2011 titled “A Rose in the Desert.”

The magazine later pulled the article due to the backlash from its portrayal. Critics condemned it for overlooking the government’s atrocities against its citizens, including the use of chemical weapons on children, while focusing on the “long-limbed beauty’s” tastes for high-end fashion, such as her preference for Christian Louboutin heels worth approximately $700.

Thirteen years after the Assads sought refuge in Moscow due to their regime’s collapse at the hands of rebel forces, the former first lady of Syria has left behind a reputation reminiscent of Marie Antoinette, the French queen known for her extravagance, which contributed to the unrest that ignited the French Revolution.

A decade ago, The Guardian revealed private emails from the Assads that illustrated the First Lady’s extravagant spending on luxury items while her husband unleashed thousands of barrel bombs from helicopters and employed chemical weapons such as chlorine, sarin, and mustard gas against the Syrian population. At the same time, many opponents of Assad were being detained in prisons where they faced torture or execution.

Among Asma Assad’s extravagant purchases were chandeliers, candlesticks, and shoes adorned with crystals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Journalists who reported from the Assads’ deserted home in Damascus uncovered a multitude of boxes filled with jewelry, antiques, and designer items. Meanwhile, her husband owned a garage full of high-end cars.

In 2018, Asma Assad was diagnosed with breast cancer, and this year she revealed that she is also battling leukemia. The couple has three children, all assumed to be living in Russia with them, and all are now young adults. Recently, Assad’s son, Hafez Jr., successfully defended his doctoral thesis in mathematics at Moscow State University.

What Lies Ahead for the Assads in Russia?

The Russian foreign ministry granted the Assad family asylum on “humanitarian grounds,” notably avoiding political asylum, which typically offers more enduring protection.

Nesrin Alrefaai, a Syrian visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, suggested that this could provide Russia with the flexibility to change its stance on the Assads if necessary.

“Ultimately, Russia is concerned about its own interests,” she mentioned. “Granting them humanitarian asylum rather than political asylum allows them to retreat if pressured. Syrians at this moment are working to gather evidence to take Assad to The Hague,” referring to the international war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands. “Legal teams are currently assembling evidence, aiming to freeze his assets and bring him to trial.”

The British government stated it had not received any requests from Asma Assad regarding a potential return to the U.K.

Alrefaai suspects Assad is experiencing a “state of shock” following his rapid ousting during an unexpectedly swift offensive by anti-Assad troops throughout Syria. “I doubt he intended to leave Syria; he was reliant on Russia’s support to maintain power. It all happened incredibly fast,” she remarked.

Even if he wished to return, Alrefaai pointed out that it would be challenging for Assad or his younger brother, Maher, a high-ranking Syrian military official involved in numerous crimes, to stage a comeback in Syria without robust support from Russia and Iran-backed Hezbollah forces. Maher Assad is believed to have managed to get to Russia via Iraq.

“His loyal supporters lack the strength to oppose the rest of Syria,” Alrefaai added.

Syria: Current Priorities

Majd Jadaan has deep ties to the Assad family and wishes she did not. Her sister, Manal, is married to Maher Assad, Bashar’s brother. Although the couple is separated, they have not formally divorced. Jadaan said her family opposed this marriage all along, but after her father’s death, the younger Assad influenced her sister against her family.

As tensions with Syria’s most powerful family escalated, she was compelled to flee the country.

Now an American resident for over a decade, Jadaan reported that her sister and children are currently safe in a third Middle Eastern country. She plans to reunite with them after 14 years.

For security reasons, she requested that the name of the country remain undisclosed.

As a U.S. citizen, Jadaan expressed her intention to return to Syria’s capital, Damascus, within weeks.

“I aim to work on uniting the Syrian people,” she declared. “We will strive to rebuild Syria,” she added.

“Many people may not realize that the Syrian people are remarkable. We have always been resilient and creative, leaving an impact wherever we go,” she noted, pointing out that Germany is concerned about a potential exodus of Syrian doctors who relocated there during the 14-year civil war, while Turkey seems apprehensive about the return of Syrian business owners and factory operators.

“Syrians are survivors. That’s what I can tell you; they are strong. We will overcome all obstacles,” she affirmed.