Russia denies Assad 'control' claim

Russia's Foreign Ministry has denied that a top diplomat said Syrian president Bashar Assad is losing control of his country.

It said in a statement today that deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov "has not made any statements or special interviews recently" on Syria but was simply citing the stance of the Syrian opposition while giving a speech yesterday.

Russian state-owned news agencies had quoted Mr Bogdanov as saying that rebels might win the civil war, a comment that appeared to dramatically shift Russia's stance on Syria.

The US later commended Russia for "waking up to the reality" by acknowledging the regime's impending fall.

Analysts viewed the diplomat's statement as Russia's attempt to begin positioning itself for Assad's eventual defeat.