DAMASCUS: Syrian interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa will ask Russia to hand over former ruler Bashar Assad during his first visit to Moscow on Wednesday, a government official said. The official, who requested anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the media, told AFP “Sharaa will ask the Russian president to hand over all individuals who committed war crimes and are in Russia, most notably Bashar Assad,” the longtime ruler who was toppled in December and sought refuge in Moscow.

A Syrian government delegation led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited Moscow on July 31

The trip will be Ahmed al-Sharaa's first official visit to Russia, a longtime ally of the former Bashar al-Assad regime.