An image purportedly showing ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad walking in Moscow's Red Square with a woman circulated widely on social media before being revealed as artificially generated.

IntelliNews verified that the image was produced using generative artificial intelligence technology, with the video purportedly created on a system like Google’s updated AI software Nano Banana, which has taken the internet by storm in recent weeks.

Assad has not been seen publicly since fleeing to Russia after Syrian opposition forces seized control of Damascus on December 8, 2024, as reported by IntelliNews at the time.

The watermark "Mind Video AI" appeared on the right side of the image, identifying it as a product of an artificial intelligence content generation tool. Analysis of the viral image revealed multiple errors, including distorted building proportions in the background and irregularities in Assad's changing features, particularly the positioning of his hand holding a girl's hand who appeared alongside him in the photograph.

Technical examination using verification tools including Hive Moderation confirmed the image was AI-generated. Assad has made no public appearances since he departed from Syria nearly a year ago.

A statement attributed to him was published through the Syrian presidency's social media accounts, which remained under his former regime's control at the time.

Following the opposition takeover in Syria in December 2024, reports suggested Assad and his family found refuge in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously said Assad's stay in Russia is purely for humanitarian reasons, adding that "Russia never abandons its friends."

New Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since assuming power in Syria on October 15. The high-level talks, which lasted for more than two and a half hours, were held at the Kremlin on October 15. 

According to Syrian state's agency SANA, President al-Sharaa’s delegation sought strong guarantees from Moscow that remnants of the former regime's military forces would not be rearmed as part of efforts to rebuild Syria’s military apparatus.

The fake video emerged as the Kremlin confirmed it would not disclose any information regarding Assad's residence in Russia. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 1 that Moscow cannot provide details about the former Syrian leader's whereabouts.

When asked whether Assad had met President Vladimir Putin over the past year, Peskov replied: "No, we cannot provide any information on this matter."