UK Daily Mail ^[1]
Jan 16, 2013

Syrian president Bashar Assad and his family are living on a warship guarded by the Russian navy, it has been claimed.

The embattled dictator is said to have moved with his family and a select band of aides to the warship off Syria’s coast.

The move, which is said to have come about after the president lost confidence in his own security detail, sees Assad travel by helicopter to Damascus to attend meetings in his presidential palace.

Intelligence sources told the Saudi daily paper al-Watan the president was being protected by Russia, which effectively amounted to political asylum, The Times of Israel ^[2] has reported.

Al-Watan was told Assad’s fear of advances by the opposition in the capital was one of the reasons why he has moved to the ship.

His current position is also thought to allow a quick evacuation to Moscow if it became necessary.

Full article here ^[1]