Russia Will Not Hand Bashar al-Assad Over to Syria Despite His Death Sentence

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko said on October 14, 2026, that Moscow would not reverse the political asylum granted to Bashar al-Assad, who was sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Damascus. Assad, convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, has lived in Russia since fleeing Syria on December 8, 2024. A 2022 extradition treaty allows Russia to refuse a request when the alleged offense carries the death penalty in the requesting country. Borisenko also said Russian military facilities in Syria would be converted into joint training and logistics centers.