Toppled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, claimed Russia "requested" he immediately evacuate the country on 8 December, in the first official statement released since his ouster.
The statement, published on the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic social media pages and claiming to be the words of Assad, refers to the offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other rebel groups as "terrorism", which led to the overthrown of the Syrian regime.
The statement added that Assad's departure from Syria was not planned and he allegedly continued to carry out his duties from the capital until the early hours of 8 December when rebel groups reached Damascus and forced him to flee to Latakia in coordination with Russia.
"Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen. As the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes," the statement reads.
"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 8 December. This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions."
He alleged he wanted to stay and fight, and was determined to stay in the country, calling the rebel offensive a "terrorist onslaught".
"At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party" the statement adds.
He also denies seeking "personal gain" in his position as ruler of Syria, saying he carried out duties with "unwavering conviction" and worked to protect the state, defend its institutions, and uphold the population's choices.
Assad ruled Syria with an iron fist, responsible for sparking a civil war during his brutal suppression of brutal protests in 2011 which went on to kill at least 500,000 Syrians and uprooted half the population.
Evidence of his brutal rule is being uncovered with the rebels' capture of detention centres, such as Seydnaya, where tens of thousands of dissidents are thought to have been executed, killed under torture, or died due to poor conditions.
Assad concluded the statement by claiming that he has remained in Syria during the "darkest days of the war" and has "confronted terrorism under bombardment and the recurring threats of terrorist incursions into the capital over fourteen years of war".
The statement comes a week after the toppling of the Baathist regime, which spanned over five decades during Hafez and Bashar Al-Assad's rule.
In recent days, thousands of prisoners have been freed from prisons in Syria, where it is estimated around 100,000 have died over the last 13 years.
The statement has garnered widespread reactions from journalists and commentators online, with many stating that it absolves Assad of any blame despite many atrocities and mass graves being uncovered in recent days.
"The statement by Assad, is essentially him throwing everyone but himself under the bus. It was everyone's fault but his. 'I never sought positions for personal gain' except for robbing the country for decades, as if it was his family's animal farm, and taking it all with him"
that the statement was not officially published by Arab and international media and that it did not contain any apologies or acknowledge responsibility.
"Assad's first words since his overthrow come in a written statement, which basically says he's a victim of terrorism, never wanted to leave and only ever acted in the best interests of Syria"