Putin Prohibits Assad Extradition but Offers Billions to Syria - Media

The Kremlin has firmly refused to discuss handing over Bashar al-Assad, but has agreed to negotiations on multi-billion dollar interest-free loans and investments in Syria. This decision has sparked disagreements among the Russian elite, reports NewsBox.

According to sources from VChK-OGPU, Russian President Vladimir Putin has prohibited discussions regarding the potential extradition of Bashar al-Assad, despite demands from the new Syrian authorities. Instead, he gave the green light to negotiations on providing Syria with extensive interest-free loans and direct investments.

Sources from VChK-OGPU indicate that this decision has caused a rift among the Russian elite. Some Kremlin officials believe that Assad does not deserve to live in luxury funded by embezzled resources, a considerable portion of which was sent to Syria from Russia to bolster its influence in the region.

This group believes that Russia is now compelled to finance Syria’s reconstruction at the state’s expense, whereas transferring Assad to new authorities and nationalizing his assets in Russia could have been an alternative. However, this option was rejected at the highest level.