Bashar al-Assad is gaming in Moscow, in response to a brand new report

Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad, whose notoriously brutal rule over the nation earned him the nickname “The Butcher,” was deposed in 2024 after years of bloody civil battle. 

Now, in a surreal cyberpunk twist, according to a report in German newsweekly Die Zeit, the previous dictator is basically holed up in a luxurious high-rise in Moscow, the place he routinely spends hours taking part in on-line video video games.  

Assad, who practiced as a doctor and was reportedly thought of as “geeky” throughout his medical coaching years, additionally seems to get pleasure from gorgeous views of Moscow landmarks from his residence, and has entry to a villa exterior the town. He additionally reportedly makes occasional visits to a shopping center beneath his residence. Assad apparently resides in Russia beneath President Vladimir Putin’s safety, in response to Die Zeit. 

Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, as president of Syria in 2000. Despite there being preliminary hopes for reform, Bashar al-Assad in the end presided over a brutal crackdown on dissent and a 13-year civil battle, through which his Russian-backed forces have been accused of deploying chemical weapons and bombarding the civilian inhabitants with so-called barrel bombs.  

The German publication didn’t specify what video video games the previous Syrian chief enjoys, nor whether or not he performs towards on-line opponents who could be unaware of his identification.