Former Syrian president Assad is video gaming in a luxury Moscow apartment: report 

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, 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 initial hopes for reform, Bashar ultimately presided over a brutal crackdown on dissent and 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.  

The German publication didn’t specify what games the former Syrian leader enjoys, nor whether he plays against online opponents who might be unaware of his identity.

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