Syria: Bashar al Assad is in Moscow, says Russian state media

Just want to bring you some breaking news here on Sky News. In the last few moments, we have heard from the Russian state media, TASS, reporting that President Bashar al-Assad and his family members have arrived in Moscow, and Russia is providing them with asylum. That's according to a source in the Kremlin.

It had been the case that Russia had told us that Assad had left Syria; that he had left in an aircraft from Syria, but we didn't know what his destination was, and indeed we didn't know where his family was. There had been speculation that maybe his wife and children had left Syria a few days ago. Russia is now saying that all the family were out of the country.

Well, now in the last few moments, as I say, Russian state media is reporting that Bashar al-Assad and indeed his family have arrived in Moscow, in the Russian capital, and Russia is providing them with asylum. At one stage, it was thought perhaps they had fled to the other Syrian ally, Iran; maybe they were getting asylum in Tehran. But no, we are now told that the family is in Moscow.

Let's bring in our Moscow correspondent, either Bennett. Either we were only speaking a few minutes ago, weren't we, about the whereabouts of the family? And now we know they are with you in Moscow.

Well, this is only according to one media outlet; this has come from TASS, Russia's state news agency, one of them, and they are quoting a source in the Kremlin. As you say, that is the only report we're getting so far, but it does follow a lot of speculation that Moscow may have offered him refuge this time because about 7 to 10 days ago, there were a lot of rumors that he and his family were in Russia following the rebels' offensive in Aleppo, and those rumors were never confirmed. But it did fuel speculation, as I say, that Moscow may have offered him refuge this time following his disappearance and reports that he had fled the country.

Russia, in a statement earlier today from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, said that they don't know where Assad is; they have no information on his location. They said all the information they gave was that he has departed office and that he has left the country following negotiations with a number of participants in the armed conflict. They said that they did not participate in those negotiations but stressed that they had no idea where he was.

But this report from TASS, the state news agency here in Russia, does appear to contradict that, and it does, as I say, follow a lot of reports and rumors a week ago that he was also here. This was one of the two likely destinations that he was assumed to have gone to, the other one being potentially Iran, Syria's other main ally. But as I say, this is still unconfirmed, but I think it does follow, as I say, a lot of rumors and a lot of speculation, and I think a lot of people would not be surprised if indeed he and his family were in the Russian capital.