MOSCOW: Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, who has been granted asylum, is now safe in Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
"In such a situation it would be very wrong for me to elaborate on what happened and how it was resolved, but he is secured, " local RIA news agency reported, citing Ryabkov.
Commenting on the possibility of the extradition of al-Assad, the Russian diplomat noted that Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court Rome Statute, Xinhua news agency reported.
Syrian militant groups waged a major offensive from northern Syria since the end of November, swept southwards through government-held areas, and captured the capital Damascus within 12 days.
Following the offensive, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed on Sunday. Al-Assad resigned and went to Russia for asylum.