Assad, who was ousted as Syria's president by a lightning rebel offensive, very securely to Russia, the country's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, told NBC News in an interview aired on Tuesday.

Assad, who was ousted as Syria’s president by a lightning rebel offensive, very securely to Russia, the country’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said in an interview on Tuesday.

This comes as the first official confirmation of speculations that Assad and his family fled to Moscow following the collapse of the dictator's regime in Syria.

NBC's chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, speaks to Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov about the fall of the Assad regime and whether Russia is prepared to make concessions on Ukraine.