Murderous Dictator's Life In Exile Is Straight Out Of A Comedy Movie After Fleeing Syria

Bashar al-Assad's life in Russia continues to be stranger than fiction.

The former Syrian dictator fled to Russia in December 2024 following the collapse of his regime in Damascus after a horrific and deadly civil war.

HTS, a terrorist organization, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa swept across the country in shocking fashion to take control.

Now, more than a year later, more and more information continues to come out about Assad's life in Moscow, and every new update is pure comedy.

Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country in December 2024. The Russians took him in following the collapse of his regime. (Photo credit should read SANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Bashar al-Assad's life in exile continues to be very strange.

First, it was reported that Assad had turned into a gamer. Yes, a man who oversaw the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people turned to video games to kill time in Russia.

Now, he's trying to return to his roots as an eye doctor. Prior to being an authoritarian dictator, Bashar was in school to become an ophthalmologist.

The Guardian reported Monday that Assad is, once again, taking ophthalmology lessons decades after leaving the U.K. for his homeland in Syria with his dad Hafez in control.

I'm certainly not downplaying the atrocities of the Syrian Civil War, but there's something out of a B-level comedy with Assad's life arc. Nothing says career pivot like going from ruthless dictator to eye doctor learning Russian.

An unnamed source told the outlet, "He’s studying Russian and brushing up on his ophthalmology again. It’s a passion of his, he obviously doesn’t need the money. Even before the war in Syria began, he used to regularly practice his ophthalmology in Damascus."

New details are out about Bashar al-Assad's life in Russia. (Photo by Pool BENAINOUS/HOUNSFIELD/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

The report also confirmed that Bashar didn't warn anyone other than a few close people of his plans to flee. That includes his notorious thug and gangster brother Maher al-Assad. Maher was a senior military official who many experts believe played a massive role in escalating the crisis in its early days.

Asma al-Assad, Bashar's wife and former Syrian first lady, is also doing much better after battling leukemia. She reportedly received "experimental therapy" in Russia.

Bashar al-Assad reportedly is, once again, studying to be an eye doctor following his regime collapsing in Syria. (Photo by Barry Iverson/Getty Images)

As I've said before, there is going to be a must-watch documentary made some day about the fall of the Assad regime. I can't wait. Until then, we'll keep digging into new details about Assad's life in exile as they come out. Hit me with your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.