Fact check: Fakes surrounding Assad's escape to Moscow

When rebel groups took control of Syria last week, the whereabouts of Syria's ousted ruler Bashar Assad were unclear for days. Rumors about the possible escape and the probable whereabouts of Assad and his family quickly multiplied. DW Fact Check took a closer look at some of the claims about Assad's whereabouts and found viral fakes.

Claim: News spread on social media and some media sites that Syria's ousted ruler had died in a plane crash. The claim was often posted in connection with this picture or video. Do they bear witness to the crash of a plane carrying Bashar Assad?

DW fact check: False

Neither the picture nor the video shows an plane crash involving Assad. A reverse image search reveals that the image of a plane wreck is decades old. The same plane is visible in this YouTube video from 2020, which shows YouTuber Matt Berger finding the wreckage from 1952 while hiking in Death Valley National Park in the US. DW also came across online articles reporting on the find.

The video posted in connection with the crash claim, which shows a plane burning at night, is also from another event. A reverse image search reveals that the footage is older and shows an Indian MiG-29 fighter plane that crashed in early September.

Speculation about a possible plane crash is also likely to have been fueled by confusing aircraft data in recent days. According to media reports, the signal of an airplane, a Syrian Air Ilyushin Il-76 T aircraft with the registration SYR9218, disappeared near the city of Homs over the weekend.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the plane crashed; according to experts — the transponder could also have been switched off. According to recent research by the German weekly Der Spiegel, for example, the mysterious flight could have something to do with Assad's escape — but the aircraft data does not prove his crash and death.

No current pictures of Assad in Moscow

As far as Assad's whereabouts are concerned, there has been speculation about his arrival in the Russian capital, Moscow. In line with this, several users on social networks, as well as some media outlets, shared various images allegedly showing Assad with his wife in Moscow.

Claim: "Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma appeared in Moscow," wrote one X user, posting a picture of the Syrian ruler with his wife and other male companions in a building. Some media outlets also published the photo, including one article with the headline "Photos taken of Assad in Moscow."

DW fact check: False

A reverse image search shows that the image, which has been shared several times, is over a year old. The picture was taken during Assad's visit to earthquake victims in an Aleppo hospital on February 10, 2023. It is a screenshot from a video recording of the visit. Corresponding images of Assad's visit at the time can also be found in the news agencies. 

Some X users also circulated another photo showing Assad at an airfield, claiming it as a recent picture from Moscow. In this case, a reverse image search also leads to the correct result. The images are from a visit by Assad to Moscow in March 2023.

According to official Russian sources, Assad arrived in Moscow on March 14, 2023, to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin on the following day. The posted picture shows Assad being greeted by the honor guard upon arrival at Vnukovo airport, outside Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian news agencies have reported, citing a source in the Kremlin, that Assad and his family are in Moscow and have been granted asylum in Russia on humanitarian grounds. Staff at the Syrian Embassy confirmed to TASS that the ousted ruler is currently in the Russian capital.

However, no recent photos or video footage of Assad and his family in Moscow have been published.

Claudia Dehn contributed to this report.

Edited by: Martin Kuebler