""All that is happening in Syria is not a defeat for Russia," he added. Russia has been Assad's key supporter, deploying troops in the country since 2015 to back the dictator in the civil war and losing at least hundreds of soldiers in the process.Syrian rebels announced on Dec. 8 that they successfully ousted Assad following a lightning offensive across the country, which culminated with the capture of the capital city of Damascus.Moscow persuaded Assad to flee to Russia with his family after realizing his regime was bound to lose to the opposition's rapid advance, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 11, citing its sources.The Russian president said at the press conference that he had not met with Assad since he arrived in Moscow.Putin also claimed that most Syrian factions would welcome the continued presence of Russian military bases in the country but said Moscow must first assess its future relationship with them.