Posts falsely claim to show image of Assad in Moscow

Russian media reported that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow following his government's collapse as rebel forces descended on the capital. However, social media posts claiming to show the first image of the longtime Syrian leader in Russia are false -- the image was taken during a 2023 visit Assad took to Aleppo.

"First image of Bashar Al Assad as Refugee in Russia," says a December 8, 2024 X post.

The image shows the ousted Syrian president walking down a hallway with his wife, Asma al-Assad. Some posts also include a headline banner at the bottom of the screen reading: "Russian state media: Bashar al Assad in Moscow."

The same image and claim has circulated elsewhere on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and TikTok -- including in French, Spanish and Arabic. The photo was also published without accurate context by Lebanese, New Zealand, Afghan and other media.

An alliance of rebel groups overthrew Assad in an 11-day offensive that saw the Syrian leader isolated from his allies and unable to hold major cities including Aleppo, Hama and eventually the capital, Damascus. Outgoing prime minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he would hand power over to the rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The Russian state-funded TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies reported that Assad fled Syria and was granted asylum by Russian authorities in Moscow, but the Kremlin would not confirm the claims.

"As for Mr. Assad’s whereabouts, I've got nothing to tell you," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on December 9.

However, as of 1500 GMT December 10, no images of Assad in Russia had circulated and his whereabouts were not publicly confirmed by any government officials.

Unrelated image

A search for the headline at the bottom of some of the posts revealed the image appears to come from a December 8, 2024 YouTube video from Sky News (archived here). However, the uploaded clip specifies it is archival footage and not from the Russian capital.

The full archive footage shown in the Sky News video indicates it was taken during a visit to a hospital in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.

Another keyword search shows the footage was originally filmed by local media in February 2023 when Assad visited the Aleppo University Hospital to visit the victims of an earthquake that had struck the northeast of the country and killed tens of thousands (archived here).

AFP reporters also captured video from Assad's hospital visit in 2023 (archived here) in which he was wearing what appears to be the same jacket.

The earthquake, which also killed thousands of people in neighboring Turkey, particularly affected the Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartous governorates.

AFP has debunked other claims about the 2024 Syrian rebel offensive.