Syria's new government pressed Russia for compensation and the correction of "past mistakes" during its first talks with a Kremlin delegation on Jan. 28, following the ouster of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.

DAMASCUS, Syria — A delegation of Russian officials arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for the first such visit to Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad. Assad, an ally of Moscow, took refuge in Russia after his ouster in December in a lightning rebel offensive.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister and a special envoy arrived in Damascus. Theirs was the first such visit since President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, according to Russian state news.

Russia reaffirms its commitment to maintain a permanent dialogue with Syria's new leadership after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov is set to meet Syria's new rulers this week in Damascus, two Syrian sources said on Tuesday, in the first visit by Russian officials since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled.

The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of long-term Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. The visit comes with Moscow keen to secure the fate of two military bases there and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Moscow had suffered a strategic "defeat" in the Middle East following the fall of Assad.

Senior Russian officials arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for their first meetings with Syria's new leadership under Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), which led the overthrow of Moscow's main Middle East ally,

Sharaa, has not ordered a Russian exit despite the fall of pro- Moscow dictator Bashar Assad. Russian diplomats on Tuesday arrived in Syria for the first time since the fall of former dictator Bashar Assad in December.