Assad is married to a dual British-Syrian national, Asma, who was born and raised in west London to Syrian parents.
She attended school and university in London before becoming an investment banker.
Asma moved to Syria full-time in 2000 and married Assad around the time he succeeded his father as president.
Dr Nesrin Alrefaai, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), told BBC News that Asma “holds a British passport, so could return to the UK” instead of remaining in Russia.
“However, the USA [has] imposed sanctions on her father, Dr Fawaz al-Akhras, who is also reported to be in Russia,” she said – suggesting Asma may want to stay put in Moscow for now.
In a report by the Mail Online, neighbours were quoted as saying Asma’s father, a cardiologist, and mother Sahar, a retired diplomat, wanted to be in Moscow to “console” their daughter and son-in-law.
Assad and his wife have three children: Hafez, the PhD student, Zein and Karim.