Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been granted asylum in Russia, should be given Russian citizenship, Chairman of the Duma Defense Committee Alexei Zhuravlev said.
“Russia treats all its allies humanely, albeit defeated ones, and this, by the way, is a cardinal difference from the US, which is very quick to scrap former friends. Therefore, if Yanukovych managed to get Russian citizenship, why not give it to Assad, who, despite the negative attitude towards him, has done quite a lot for Russia,” Zhuravlev is quoted by the Abzats newspaper as saying.
According to the Financial Times, Assad’s relatives and close associates purchased at least 19 apartments in Moscow City in 2019 with a total value of $40 million. The former head of state’s brother Hafiz Makhlouf is the owner of 13 apartments, the wife of Assad’s cousin Rami Makhlouf owns two apartments.
