"Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, whose notoriously brutal rule over the country earned him the nickname " The Butcher," was deposed in 2024 after years of bloody civil war. Now, in a surreal cyberpunk twist, according to a report in German newsweekly Die Zeit, the former dictator is largely holed up in a luxury high-rise in Moscow, where he routinely spends hours playing online video games."
"Assad, who practiced as a physician and was reportedly thought of as "geeky" during his medical training years, also appears to enjoy stunning views of Moscow landmarks from his apartment, and has access to a villa outside the city. He also reportedly makes occasional visits to a shopping mall below his apartment. Assad apparently resides in Russia under President Vladimir Putin's protection, according to Die Zeit."
"Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, as president of Syria in 2000. Despite there being initial hopes for reform, Bashar al-Assad ultimately presided over a brutal crackdown on dissent and a 13-year civil war, in which his Russian-backed forces were accused of deploying chemical weapons and bombarding the civilian population with so-called barrel bombs."
Bashar al-Assad was deposed in 2024 after years of bloody civil war. He resides in a luxury high-rise in Moscow and reportedly spends hours playing online video games. He practiced as a physician and was thought of as "geeky" during medical training. He enjoys views of Moscow landmarks from his apartment, has access to a villa outside the city, and sometimes visits a shopping mall beneath the building. He lives in Russia under Vladimir Putin's protection. He succeeded his father as president in 2000 and presided over a brutal crackdown and a 13-year civil war, during which forces were accused of deploying chemical weapons and using barrel bombs.
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