In the first public remarks attributed to Bashar al-Assad since he left Syria, the deposed Syrian president has defended his rule and denied planning his departure as armed opposition fighters closed in on Damascus earlier this month.

Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad said, in a statement attributed to him on Monday, that he did not plan to leave the country amid rebel advances towards Damascus but that Russia had evacuated him.

Unverified statement published on Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel would be al-Assad’s first since he was deposed.

Syria's Bashar al-Assad issued his first statement since being toppled from power, saying he was evacuated to Russia from the Hmeimim base on Dec. 8 as it came under drone attack, after leaving Damascus that morning with rebel fighters closing in.

In a post on Telegram, an account belonging to the ousted president insists he remained in Damascus until rebel fighters arrived in the city, and then moved to a Russian air base further north, which was then evacuated to Moscow by Russian officials.

Assad’s departure from the country was unplanned, according to a statement posted Monday on the Syrian Presidency Telegram account, purporting to be from Assad.

In what appears to be his first reaction since fleeing Syria, the former president says Russia decided to airlift him to Moscow.

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack.

Ousted president Bashar al-Assad broke his silence Monday after fleeing Syria, saying in a statement that he only left once Damascus had fallen and denounced the country's new leaders as "terrorists".