Kremlin denies reports Bashar al-Assad's wife is seeking divorce
The British-born wife of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is not seeking a divorce, a Kremlin spokesman has said.
Reports in Turkish media had suggested Asma al-Assad wanted to end her marriage and leave Russia, where she and her husband were granted asylum after a rebel coalition overthrew the former president's regime and took control of Damascus, BBC News reported.
Asked about the reports in a news conference call, Dmitry Peskov said, "No, they do not correspond to reality."
He also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.
Russia was a staunch ally of the Assad regime and offered it military support during the civil war.
But reports in Turkish media on Sunday suggested the Assads were living under severe restrictions in the Russian capital, and that the former Syrian first lady had filed for divorce and wanted to return to London.
Mrs Assad is a dual Syrian-British national, but the UK foreign secretary has previously said she would not be allowed to return to Britain.
Speaking in parliament earlier this month, David Lammy said: "I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK."
He added he would do "everything I can in my power" to ensure no member of the Assad family "finds a place in the UK".
In a statement attributed to Bashar al-Assad last week, he said he had never intended to flee Syria, but he was airlifted from a Russian military base at Moscow's request.