The shock video prompted Putin to save Assad

Russia
The film shocked Putin - gave the order to save Assad

John Edgar

Updated 00.28 | Published 00.03

The images shocked Putin.

The incident prompted him to save Assad, according to Russian sources.

Now the dictator and his family live in hiding in Moscow.

             

            Therefore, Ukraine helped the rebels in Syria

After initial confusion over the fate of Bashar al-Assads, Russia confirmed that the dictator and his family had been flown to Moscow ahead of the rebels' entry into Damascus.

And it was the Kremlin that persuaded Assad that he had to flee in a hurry, writes Bloomberg.

 

            

          

           Bashar al-Assad met Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this year.
           1 / 2Photo: AP

Putin's order

Russian sources told the news site that they managed to make him realize that a victory over the rebels was not possible.

Assad was told that he and his family would be saved – if they left immediately.

The escape was arranged by the Russian security service and the family was flown out via Russia's air base in  Syria.

The decision to intervene and save the dictator from the wrath of the people came directly from the Russian president.

Putin is also said to demand information from his intelligence service why the threat from the rebels was not discovered before it was too late, according to Kremlin sources to Bloomberg.

 

              

            

             Bashar al-Assad together with his wife Asma who is said to have suffered from leukemia
             1 / 2Photo: AP

The shock behind the decision

One reason why Putin ordered the rescue operation goes back 13 years, say sources to The Guardian and Bloomberg.

In October 2011, Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, 69, was killed while fleeing rebels.

He was found hiding in a drainage pipe, dragged out and beaten before being shot dead.

- We hit him with our shoes. Then we shot him in the head and stomach, one person told Reuters at the time.

Everything was captured on film.

The images must have shaken Putin and he must now have been determined that Assad would not meet the same fate.

                

                

                

              

         Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was pulled out of a drainage pipe and beaten by amob.He  was          later shot dead.
         1 / 4Photo: AP

Russia best option

- Even if Putin dislikes Assad, he would never let him be absorbed by the rebels, says a Russian ex-diplomat to The Guardian.
According to experts on Syria, Assad had only two realistic escape options: Russia or Iran.

Expert David Lesch, who has met Assad on a number of occasions, told The Guardian that Russia was probably the dictator's best option in terms of protection - and to continue the secular life the family is used to.

He believes that Russia is also likely to give his wife Asma better care. She was diagnosed with leukemia last spring.

Bashar al-Assad and his relatives reportedly own several luxury apartments in Moscow's financial district. Photo: AP

Has billions hidden

It is considered unlikely that Assad and his family will live a public and extravagant life in Moscow, writes The Guardian.

Rather, they will be hidden away under heavy surveillance while the Russian leadership tries to build relations with the new regime in Syria.

- I think that Bashar will continue to keep a very low profile, possibly for the rest of his life, says Lesch to The Guardian.

According to information in Russian media, Bashar al-Assad owns a number of luxury apartments in two skyscrapers in Moscow's financial district. Additional apartments in the skyscrapers are owned by family members.

Assad is said to have hidden assets of approximately SEK 20 billion.