Assad and his family have been granted Russian asylum, and this decision was made by President Vladimir Putin, confirms Putin's spokesperson Dmitrij Peskov at his daily press conference, according to Russian media.
However, he did not want to say anything about where the Syrian ex-dictator is currently located, or if there has been any communication between him and Vladimir Putin. There are no plans for a meeting between the two, according to Peskov.
There is "nothing to say" about where Bashar al-Assad is currently, according to the press spokesperson.
On Monday morning, a group of men gathered on a balcony at the Syrian embassy in Moscow. They hoisted a green, white, and black flag with three red stars and cheered.
This flag has been used by Syrian opposition groups as an alternative to the red, white, and black flag with two green stars that has been used by the now-deposed Assad regime.
The deposed President Bashar al-Assad was reported on Sunday to have flown to Moscow and been granted asylum along with his family. Russia, together with Iran, has been Assad's closest ally, and with military force helped him maintain power throughout the bloody civil war.
Russia's military is working full-time to maintain security at the country's military bases in Syria, according to Dmitrij Peskov. It is "too early" to talk about whether there will continue to be a Russian presence in the country, according to him.
