Rare glimpse of Assad family ties to Russia in kids' stay at seaside camp

A general view of the Morskoi camp, part of the Artek International Children's Centre, located near the city of Yalta, Crimea May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Rebrov

SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - News that Russia hosted the teenage children of Bashar al-Assad at a lavishly-rebuilt Black Sea summer camp in Crimea last year has given a rare glimpse into the personal lives of the Syrian president's family and his close relationship to Moscow.

Nestled on the Crimean coast since 1925, the Artek Seaside camp served for decades as an elite summer holiday resort for children of those favoured by the Soviet Communist Party and foreign delegations invited from its satellite states.