The Kremlin forced Assad to flee - Bloomberg

The events in Syria came as a surprise to the Kremlin, but Moscow is trying to present itself as a responsible partner that ensured the safe exit of Assad without leaving an ally to fend for itself.

After Syrian opposition forces approached the capital Damascus, Russia convinced Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the inevitability of his regime's defeat and forced him to flee the country. Bloomberg writes about this on Wednesday, December 11, citing its own sources.

Thus, the Kremlin allegedly wanted to protect the Syrian dictator from the fate of Gaddafi or Hussein.

"Fearing a repetition of Libyan events with the massacre of the tyrant Gaddafi, the Kremlin offered Assad and his family a safe escape from the country. The evacuation was organized by the Russian special services through the Khmeimim air base, from where Assad took off in an unknown direction. The plane turned off the transponder to avoid tracking," the newspaper writes.

This sending the Syrian dictator and his family into exile marked the end of more than half a century of the Assad dynasty, which began with Bashar's father, Hafez Assad, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.

Hours after Assad fled, opposition forces entered Damascus unopposed, declaring victory in a war that had lasted nearly 14 years.

Vladimir Putin has not yet made any public statements regarding the fall of the Assad regime.

The publication indicates that the Russian authorities are now trying to preserve their strategic interests in Syria, in particular the bases in Tartus and Khmeimim. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced contacts with all Syrian opposition groups, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Doha.

As you know, on December 8, rebel forces in Damascus declared the capital "free" from Bashar Assad, who fled to Russia. The day before, an interim prime minister was appointed in Syria.