Russia transported Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted as Syria's president by a lightning rebel offensive, very securely to Russia, the country's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, told NBC News in an interview aired on Tuesday.

"He is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation," Ryabkov told NBC.

Asked whether Russia would hand over Assad for trial, Ryabkov said, "Russia is not a party to the convention that established the International Criminal Court."