Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad fled to Moscow on Sunday, Russian media reported, hours after a stunning rebel advance took over the capital of Damascus and ended the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule. The Russian agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source on Assad and his family being given asylum in Moscow, his longtime ally and protector. RIA also said Moscow had received guarantees from Syrian insurgents of the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement early Sunday saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They called on people to preserve the institutions of "the free Syrian state."

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Persons: Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, Bashar Assad, RIA, Russia's, Dmitry Polyansky, Abu Mohammed al, Ahmad al, Bassam, Anas Salkhadi Organizations: Tass, RIA, Associated Press, Kremlin, . Security, Golani, U.S, Islamic Locations: Sochi, Moscow, Damascus, Syria, Russia, Turkey, Kurdish