An official source in Russia told CNN on Sunday evening that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum in Russia.

"Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds," the Russian news agency TASS quoted a Kremlin source as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Assad "decided to leave his presidential post and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power."

A source close to the Syrian opposition told CNN that the ousted president left Damascus under Russian protection, while a separate source said that Bashar al-Assad went to Latakia in northwestern Syria, where Russia has an air base.