Russian officials have been forced to issue a statement after reports emerged suggesting the wife of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was seeking a divorce.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected media reports suggesting Bashar al-Assad had been confined to Moscow and had assets frozen.

Since the fall of his regime, the Syrian dictator has joined family and relatives who were already in Russia. For years, the Assad clan has been transferring and investing a large amount of money in Moscow.

Assad, who has British citizenship, is currently exiled in Moscow with the former Syrian dictator but reportedly wants to move to London.

Reports from Turkish and British claimed that Asma al-Assad was encouraged by her mother to file for divorce because of poor conditions in Russia, coupled with a lack of adequate leukemia treatment

Assad’s regime collapsed faster than anyone had predicted. The sudden nature of its downfall left many scrambling for answers, and it seems no one was more unprepared than Assad himself.

Turkish media reports have claimed that the wife of the former Syrian president filed for divorce and sought to return to the UK.View on euronews

As per reports, Asma al-Assad has expressed “dissatisfaction” with their life in Russia's Moscow, where they are living after Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

With Bashar al-Assad gone, Turkish President Erdogan wants to position himself as de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world. Israel, on the other hand, is clearly perturbed by the rise of rebel Islami

Assad's wife is reportedly critically ill with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and has been isolated in Moscow to minimise infection risks.

Syria's new rebel-led authorities say 14 interior ministry personnel have been killed and 10 injured in an "ambush" by forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country. They say the fighting took place near the Mediterranean port of Tartous on Tuesday.