Assad will become an ophthalmologist for Moscow’s elite: The Guardian reports

• Former Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad is 'brushes up on ophthalmology' skills and learning Russian while living in Moscow, according to report published in The Guardian. 
• Since fleeing Syria in 2024, Assad has been living a quiet, luxurious life in Moscow’s elite Rublyovka district, focusing on studies and professional retraining.
• His family maintains significant wealth and moves between Moscow and the UAE, while Assad transitions from politics to a medical career.

Former Syrian president Bashar al‑Assad is reportedly brushing up on his medical training in ophthalmology and studying Russian while living in Moscow, according to an in‑depth report by The Guardian. 

A friend of the Assad family told The Guardian that “he’s studying Russian and brushing up on his ophthalmology again,” noting that Assad, a London‑trained ophthalmologist, once regularly practiced the specialty in Damascus. The source suggested that Assad might aim to serve wealthy clientele in Moscow as he revives his medical career. 

After his regime was toppled in December 2024 and he fled to Russia under a Russian military escort, Assad and his family have been living what the newspaper describes as a “quiet life of luxury” in Moscow. Despite their wealth, The Guardian reports the family lives in relative isolation from both Syrian and Russian elite circles. 

The report, informed by family friends, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data, says the Assads likely reside in Rublyovka, a prestigious gated community home to affluent residents including other exiled leaders, and that the family’s overseas assets helped preserve their wealth after being cut off from the Western financial system following sanctions imposed in 2011. 

Although Assad has sought to tell his side of the story in planned interviews with outlets such as RT and an American podcaster, The Guardian notes that Russian authorities have barred him from public or political activities. His wife, Asma al‑Assad, has reportedly recovered from leukemia after receiving treatment in Moscow under the supervision of Russian security services. 

The report also mentioned Assad’s children as they are adjusting to life among Moscow’s upper classes, attending elite institutions and frequenting luxury venues, though they keep a low profile.