The Kremlin has dismissed reports that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has filed for divorce.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed the claims during a press conference, stating, “No, they do not correspond to reality.”
He also refuted allegations that Bashar al-Assad is under confinement in Moscow or that his assets have been frozen.
Reports originating in Turkish media suggested that Mrs Assad intended to end her marriage and leave Russia, where the couple has resided since being granted asylum following the overthrow of Assad’s regime in Syria by a rebel coalition.
The reports further claimed that the Assads were living under strict restrictions in Moscow and that Asma al-Assad sought to return to London.
However, her potential return to the UK appears unlikely, as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has previously stated that she is a sanctioned individual and would not be allowed to re-enter the country.
“I want it confirmed that she’s a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK,” Lammy said earlier this month in parliament, adding that he would ensure no member of the Assad family finds refuge in Britain.
Asma al-Assad, 49, was born and raised in London to Syrian parents before moving to Syria in 2000 to marry Bashar al-Assad shortly after he became president.
During her tenure as Syria’s first lady, she was both a figure of fascination and controversy. A 2011 Vogue profile controversially described her as “a rose in the desert,” a characterisation widely criticised given her silence during her husband’s brutal repression of pro-democracy protests at the onset of the Syrian civil war.
The conflict, which spanned over a decade, claimed the lives of an estimated half a million people and left Assad accused of war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Despite international condemnation, Asma al-Assad publicly stood by her husband, rejecting offers of safe passage out of Syria during the war.
In recent years, Mrs Assad has faced personal health challenges, including a breast cancer diagnosis in 2018, which she said she recovered from in 2019. Earlier this year, she began treatment for leukaemia and temporarily withdrew from public engagements.
After being airlifted from Syria at Moscow’s request, the Assads have reportedly lived under significant constraints in Russia.
Bashar al-Assad has denied claims that he intended to flee Syria, insisting that his departure was arranged by Russian authorities.
Kremlin denies reports of divorce between Bashar al-Assad, wife Asma