Post falsely claims image shows Bashar Assad in Moscow | Fact check
The claim: Image shows first picture of Bashar Assad and his wife in Moscow
A Dec. 9 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife walking with several people. The post purports to show the ousted president after fleeing the country amid a rebel takeover.
"First image of Assad and Asma in Moscow," the post's caption reads. "According to a Kremlin source, Assad and his family are in Moscow, where Russia is granting them political asylum."
A similar post was shared on Instagram before it was deleted.
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Our rating: False
The image is from February 2023 and shows Assad visiting earthquake victims in the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to media reports.
Image shows Assad and his wife visiting earthquake victims in 2023
As Syrian seized the Syrian capital city of Damascus, Assad fled with his family to Russia where they were given asylum, Reuters reported on Dec. 8, citing Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna.
In remarks delivered the same day, President Joe Biden called the toppling of Assad's regime a "moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country."
But the image in the Instagram post doesn't show Assad and his wife, Asma, in Moscow following his ouster. It predates Assad's departure by over a year and shows them in Syria.
The media outlet Voice of America shared a video matching the scene in the image in a Feb. 10, 2023, X post. It shows Assad visiting earthquake victims at a hospital in Aleppo, according to the video's caption. The YouTube channel Syria Stream shared the same clip with a similar description in Arabic on the same day.
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A report posted by France24 on Feb. 10, 2023, includes an image of Assad and his wife wearing the same clothes seen in the clip and image as they meet with a survivor of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras and downed buildings in Turkey and Syria.
Paste BN reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Logically Facts also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- Voice of America, Feb. 10, 2023, X post
- Syria Stream (YouTube), Feb. 10, 2023, Summary of Bashar al-Assad's visit to those affected by the earthquake in Aleppo!
- France24, Feb. 10, 2023, Outpouring of solidarity after earthquakes an 'opportunity' for Syria’s Assad, analysts say
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