Russian President Vladimir Putin could help spark a new migrant crisis from Syria if he intervenes once again in the Middle Eastern country, it has been warned.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow on Sunday as his regime was removed from power by rebel groups.
Islamist rebels have taken control of the capital Damascus after launching a swift offensive through many of Syria’s major cities in recent days.
Putin has been a source of support for Assad. Moscow’s forces kept Assad in power when it dropped widespread airstrikes on anti-government forces and civilian areas in Syria back in 2015.
Now, one Syrian refugee living in London fears that Russia could use similar action to quell rebel forces, risking another exodus of Syrians from the country.
Speaking to the Telegraph under a pseudonym, Hadi said: “I’m 100% sure from seeing what happened in Syria before that we will find many, many people who are trying to escape. I would expect many to try to cross to Europe.”
He added: “The worst case scenario is for the fighting to continue to escalate and for regime and Russian airstrikes to start targeting civilian areas.
“In such a likely scenario, you would definitely see huge displacement within Syria, as well as the attempt of many to cross elsewhere.
“I think many people right now who fled Aleppo or other areas, or even those not close to the front lines are seriously considering leaving Syria because they might think that nothing is predictable or impossible.”
While many in Syria feel a renewed sense of hope now that Assad is gone, others have warned the future remains uncertain.
The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has warned Syria is in “grave danger” as “further military escalation risks mass displacement and civilian casualties”.
As of 2024, an estimated 12million Syrians have been displaced from their country while 6.8million are internally displaced and 5million are registered refugees.
On Sunday, Russian media agency Tass confirmed that Assad and his family have fled to Moscow.
A Kremlin source said: “Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum.”
