The man, who wished to remain anonymous, has found a job, is studying Russian and hopes to reunite with his family
A former general in ex-Syrian President Bashar Assad’s army who found refuge in central Russia has spoken to local media. The man, who gave an interview to 66.RU on condition of anonymity, told the media outlet that he is determined to integrate into Russian society and is not considering returning to Syria.
The ex-general, who asked to be identified by his call sign ‘Wolf’, recalled the overthrow of the Assad government in December. During a swift offensive by Islamist anti-government groups in Syria, he watched as many of his comrades, including senior commanders, deserted their positions en masse.
“I can’t wrap my head around it. It was treason, there are no two ways about it,” Wolf told Russian reporters.
After the coup, the ex-general left his wife and children in a hiding place for fear of persecution by the militants. He then managed to make it to the Russian Khmeimim Air Base along with his sister and two nephews. He explained that his children would most likely not have been able to complete the perilous trip.
After being transported to Russia, he ended up in the country’s Sverdlovsk Region. Wolf, who studied in Leningrad (nowadays St. Petersburg) in the USSR, already had a good command of Russian when he arrived, but continues to master the language.
Having secured temporary protection status, he found an odd job that helps keep him and his relatives afloat financially.
“I’m now waiting for the paperwork so I can start working officially at a plant or factory. I’m having my residence permit application processed,” the former commander said, adding that he was willing to take up any job ten to twelve hours a day.
He added that he does not intend to return to Syria because he believes the country will be in turmoil for at least a decade to come. “Let my children live like normal people in Russia,” the former general concluded, insisting that he now feels “more like a Russian than a Syrian.”
Following the armed opposition’s rise to power in late 2024, the Islamists have reportedly perpetrated several massacres of the Alawite religious minority, as well as Christians and Druze communities across Syria.
