Ousted Assad says he 'didn’t plan to flee Syria' in statement released by Moscow

In what appeared to be the first public comments from Assad since his government was overthrown, he defends his record during the country’s long and brutal civil war, criticizes the country’s new leadership and gives details of his flight from Syria.

Syria’s former leader, Bashar Assad, said he was evacuated from Syria by Russian forces after a rebel alliance seized the capital but had wanted to stay and fight, according to a statement that was posted Monday to social media accounts he used while in office and reported by Russian state news media.

The statement, which said it had been issued from Moscow, contained what appeared to be the first public comments from Assad since his government was overthrown just over a week ago.

In it, he defends his record during the country’s long and brutal civil war, criticizes the country’s new leadership and gives details of his flight from Syria. The Russian state news agency, TASS, carried a portion of the statement on its website Monday.

Assad said he had not planned to leave the country, and said he did not "consider stepping down or seeking refuge." He said he had remained in Damascus, Syria, “carrying out my duties” until early on Dec. 8, when he said rebels began to infiltrate the capital. At that point, he moved “in coordination with our Russian allies” to the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, outside of which Russia has a military base, he said.

“As the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes. With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 8,” Assad said in the statement, which was published in English. This account of the episode could not be independently confirmed.

The Kremlin has said that Assad made the “personal decision” to leave office, and that President Vladimir Putin of Russia had offered exile to him and his family. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, has said Moscow will not disclose details of Assad’s location in Russia.