On February 17, 2025, State Duma deputy Dmitry Kuznetsov expressed his expectation that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and members of the former Ukrainian elite who had received asylum in Russia would show gratitude by providing assistance to Russian citizens. In an interview with Gazeta.Ru, Kuznetsov noted that, despite being granted asylum, Assad and former Ukrainian officials have not yet been seen actively supporting Russians. He emphasized that voters expect these individuals to use their significant resources to help the Russian people, recalling that "no one has canceled the court of conscience and history."

Let us recall that on December 8, 2024, after the capture of Damascus by anti-government forces, Bashar al-Assad and his family arrived in Moscow, where he received asylum for humanitarian reasons.

The decision to grant asylum was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, in February 2014, after the events of the Euromaidan in Ukraine, Russia also provided asylum to several dozen high-ranking Ukrainian officials and businessmen along with their families and staff. Among them is the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who, according to some sources, lives in the Moscow region and owns real estate in Sochi.

Deputy Kuznetsov had previously proposed sending Bashar al-Assad and his family to participate in the restoration of Mariupol, believing that this would be a symbolic gesture of gratitude to Russia for providing asylum. However, according to him, neither Assad nor representatives of the Ukrainian elite have yet shown any initiative in providing assistance to Russian citizens or participating in the restoration work.