Nearly a year after a coup ended his decades-long grip on Syria, former President Bashar al-Assad is reportedly living in discreet luxury in Moscow, according to an in-depth investigation by German newspaper Die Zeit.

Assad, 59, and his family are said to occupy approximately 20 apartments across three floors of a high-security skyscraper in the Russian capital. The former leader is described as moving freely around the city, occasionally visiting a nearby shopping mall, though he remains under the tight protection and influence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sources cited by Die Zeit claim Assad has adopted a “vow of silence,” with Putin exerting strict control over narratives surrounding Assad’s past rule and Russia’s role in Syria. The Kremlin reportedly maintains a monopoly on information, shaping how Assad’s legacy is portrayed.

A former Syrian military insider, identified only as “K.” and now living in Europe, shared new insights into Assad’s life in exile. K., who claims Assad once tried to assassinate him in 2012, said the former president now spends much of his time playing online video games. “He and his family can move freely around Moscow,” K. said. “They have private bodyguards funded by the Russian government. Bashar lives in a tower with a mall underneath and sometimes shops there.”

Assad’s wife, Asma, is reportedly in critical condition following a recurrence of breast cancer in early 2024. Meanwhile, Assad’s brother Maher is said to be living at the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow, indulging in a lifestyle of drinking and hookah smoking.

Despite the secrecy, Die Zeit journalists managed to enter the building believed to house the Assad family. The tower is described as a gleaming, ultra-secure residence favored by foreign dignitaries. A local real estate agent, using the alias “Natasha,” showed reporters apartments similar to those owned by the Assads. The interiors feature opulent Middle Eastern-inspired decor, including gold-trimmed wardrobes, crystal chandeliers, and Carrara marble bathrooms with heated tubs and panoramic views of the Moscow skyline.

In February, Assad’s son Hafez broke the family’s silence with a video posted from Moscow, marking his first public appearance since their escape. In the video, Hafez recounted the family’s hasty departure from Syria in December 2024 as opposition forces seized Damascus. He revealed that he had been in Moscow for his doctoral studies while his mother was undergoing treatment. As the situation deteriorated, the family regrouped in Damascus before being flown by Russian military aircraft to the Hmeimim Airbase in Latakia.

The Assad family’s fate had remained a mystery since the regime’s collapse. If Die Zeit’s findings are accurate, they paint a picture of a deposed leader living in gilded exile, shielded by the Kremlin — a stark contrast to the war-torn nation he once ruled.