Kremlin denies reports Asma al-Assad is seeking divorce as David Lammy says she is 'not welcome' in UK
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The British-born wife of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has not filed for divorce, a spokesperson for the Kremlin has announced. Reports circulating widely in Turkish media had suggested that Asma al-Assad was seeking an end to her marriage to the deposed Syrian leader, and intended to flee Russia where she and her husband were granted asylum following the fall of the president’s regime in Syria.
While taking part in a news conference call, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation told reporters: “No, they do not correspond to reality.” He also went on to deny reports that Assad had been restricted to staying in Moscow or that his property assets had been frozen, reports the BBC.
Russia had long been a staunch ally of the Assad regime and offered large amounts of military support during the civil war beginning in September 2015, when at the request of Bashar al-Assad, the regime sought assistance in fighting the Syrian opposition and Islamic State.
READ MORE: Kate Middleton’s Christmas Day appearance will be ‘huge moment’ after ‘brutal’ year. However, following the victory of a rebel coalition which overthrew the former president earlier month, reports had begun to circulate that the Assads were living under severe restrictions in the Russian capital. Similar reports in the Turkish media also suggested that the former first lady had filed for divorce and wanted to return home to London.
