The long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad personally and independently decided to resign, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
“Withdrawing from the process of performing the duties of head of state was al-Assad’s personal decision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media agencies.
Peskov refused to comment further on Moscow’s role following the dramatic end to the regime of al-Assad.
The former president and his family fled to Russia, where they were granted asylum, after a coalition of rebel groups swept through formerly government-held areas of Syria in a rapid offensive, seizing control of the capital Damascus on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long supported al-Assad, decided to take the family in, Peskov had said on Monday.
Putin has often met with al-Assad, but no meeting has been planned this time, Peskov said.
The Russian authorities have not disclosed al-Assad’s exact whereabouts.