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.

Bashar al-Assad ’s critically ill wife will not be allowed to return to the UK for cancer treatment after her British passport expired, according to reports. The 49-year-old, born in London to Syrian parents, served as Syria ’s First Lady until her husband was overthrown last month.

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, the London-born wife of deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, has filed for divorce, citing dissatisfaction with life in Moscow. The couple has been living in Russia under political asylum after Bashar was ousted by rebel forces earlier this month.

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

The visit comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a large shipment of wheat flour to war-torn Syria, as the two countries seek to reset relations following years of tensions over former President Bashar al-Assad's alliance with Russia.

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's rule in Syria remains one of the most controversial in modern Middle Eastern history. For over two decades, his presidency was marked by both internal strife and external conflict, culminating in a devastating civil war.

Cliche has it that behind every great man stands a woman—and as it happens, the same also applies to murderous dictators. Syria’s fallen tyrant, Bashar al-Assad, fled to friendly Moscow after his regime was toppled by rebels two weeks ago.

Saudi Arabia has put six Iranians to death for drug trafficking, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after a year in which it carried out a record number of executions, according to an AFP tally of official reports.