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Russian media reports that deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow and have been granted political asylum.

According to the source in the Kremlin, Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Being guided by humanitarian considerations, Russia has granted asylum for them.

“Russia has always spoken in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed,” the source said.

“Russian officials are in touch with representatives of armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the Syrian territory,” the source added.

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Last night, there were a fluffy of reports indicating that the Russian-built Il-76 carrying Assad and his entourage had been forced down or shot down shortly after takeoff from Damascus International Airport. That flight was anticipated to carry him into exile in the UAE; see BREAKING: Assad Missing As His Airplane Disappears From Radar While Fleeing Damascus.

The only source for this report is TASS.

There has been no official Russian comment on Assad’s situation or location.

There have been no images or video released of Assad’s arrival in Moscow, though a lot of file imagery is kicking around.