A picture circulating on social media claims to show former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s first picture in Moscow after fleeing Syria.
Russia has granted him political asylum following his resignation on Sunday, marking the end of his rule after a rebel takeover. Reportedly, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the asylum offer to Assad.
The caption with the picture reads: “A picture of Former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad went viral on social media, with many claiming it to be the first photo of him after the fall of Syria. This is allegedly the first photo of Bashar al-Assad and his wife in Russia after arrived from Syria. #Syria #moscow #russia”
The above post can be seen here (archive). More such posts can be seen here, here and here.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the claim, and found it to be Misleading.
A Reverse Image Search, combined with relevant keywords, revealed that the image was a still from a video posted on the official YouTube channel of Syrian radio station Sham FM TV on February 10, 2023. According to the video’s title and description, it captures Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Aleppo University Hospital to meet victims of an earthquake. More reports of his visit can be seen here, here and here.
Additionally, images from Bashar al-Assad’s visit had been shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Syrian President at the time. These pictures show Assad and his wife wearing the same attire as seen in the viral photo.
في أول محطة من زيارة الرئيس الأسد والسيدة أسماء الأسد إلى مدينة حلب توجها إلى مشفى حلب الجامعي للاطمئنان على حالة المصابين والمتضررين من الزلزال واستمعا منهم إلى أوضاعهم واحتياجاتهم. pic.twitter.com/CMfMthOZk2
— Syrian Presidency (@Presidency_Sy) February 10, 2023
A comparison of the images confirms that the still from Assad’s hospital visit is identical to the picture in question, debunking the claim that it depicts his arrival in Moscow. So far, we have not found any fresh images of Bashar al-Assad from Moscow.
Therefore, we can conclusively say that the viral image, claiming Bashar al-Assad’s first picture in Moscow following his alleged exile, is fabricated.
