Putin Refuses To Extradite Assad To Syria

This is reported by the interim Syrian president.

In January, the new Syrian government asked the Russian leadership to extradite deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad, but the Kremlin refused. Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told The New York Times about this in an interview.

Despite the refusal, Sharaa stressed that the Syrian administration does not intend to break relations with Russia. He reminded that most of Syria's weapons are produced in Russia, and the country is heavily dependent on Russian food and energy supplies. ‘We are obliged to take into account these key interests of Syria,’ he said.

The intention of the new authorities to seek Assad's extradition was also reported by Reuters in January. The information was later confirmed by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath sources, but only now has it received official confirmation from Damascus.

According to Reuters, the interim government also demanded from Moscow to return the financial assets that Assad had taken to Russia. According to the agency's sources, we are talking about $500,000 in cash, as well as jewellery. In addition, Assad took with him important documents, laptops and hard discs containing classified information.

Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024, after which he immediately left the territory of Syria and received political asylum in Russia. Two key Russian military bases continue to operate on Syrian territory: the Navy's logistics point in the port of Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase in the province of Latakia. Both bases are of strategic importance to Moscow.

The new Syrian authorities have already stated that they do not rule out the possibility of retaining these facilities if it is in the interests of the state. In particular, the new Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra spoke about this in February in an interview with The Washington Post. According to him, the future fate of Russian military facilities will be determined on the basis of pragmatic considerations.

In a bid to maintain its military presence and political influence in Syria, Moscow sent several oil tankers to the country in March. Also, cash in Syrian currency that had been printed in Russia during Assad's rule was delivered to Damascus.

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