Russian officials have been forced to issue a statement after reports emerged suggesting the wife of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was seeking a divorce.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected media reports suggesting Bashar al-Assad had been confined to Moscow and had assets frozen.

"No, they do not correspond to reality," Kremlin spokesman Peskov tells reporters on media reports about UK-born Asma, who reportedly wants to file for divorce from ousted Syrian regime leader Bashar