But the statement from the Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was an indication that even the Syrian government's strongest backers must now acknowledge the inroads that rebel forces have made in recent weeks.
"We need to face the truth. A current tendency is that the regime and the government keep losing control over an ever-growing territory," Bogdanov said during hearings at a Kremlin advisory body, according to the Interfax news service. "As far as the opposition's victory is concerned, regrettably, it cannot be ruled out."
In Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Assad's government appears to be "approaching collapse," news services reported. Rasmussen said the defeat of the Syrian military and the fall of the government was "just a matter of time."
Rebel forces have captured at least half a dozen Syrian military bases in the past two weeks, and they have also besieged the country's main commercial airport in Damascus, effectively shutting down the facility temporarily amid heavy fighting.
The Syrian military has struck back hard, dropping bombs and firing artillery shells around Damascus, Aleppo and smaller cities. Opposition groups estimate that at least 40,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict.
Russia and China have vetoed three tough sanctions resolutions against Syria at the U.N. Security Council that were intended to punish Assad for his bloody crackdown on anti-government demonstrators and fighters. Russia also has continued to give weapons to Syria, despite strong protests from other countries.
On Wednesday, the United States and NATO said Assad's military had launched short-range ballistic missiles against rebel forces in recent weeks, a heavy-handed and risky attack that analysts said could be an indication of the government's desperation.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry, which describes the rebel forces as "terrorist groups," on Thursday denied using Scud missiles.
"These missiles were not used in the confrontations with the armed terrorist groups who were proved to have used advanced weapons lately, which they received from conspiring countries, in their attacks against the innocent citizens, the military forces and the public and private infrastructure," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry official as saying.
At least one anti-government activist appeared to scoff at the change in message from the Russian government.
"The only thing we can tell him really is, "Finally you're waking up to the truth?" the activist, who uses the nom de guerre Majd al-Shami, said via Skype.
"Russia has been standing on the side of the regime since the very first day of the revolution in Syria," the activist added. "Logically, they cannot let go of the regime that easily or even fight against it, regardless of the international political situation."
The violence in Syria continued Thursday, with reports of two car bomb attacks. One blast killed at least 16 people and injured 23 in the town of Qatana in Damascus province, according to SANA. And activists reported a second car bomb in a suburb of Damascus called Jdeidat Artouz, with 17 people believed killed.
Ahmed Ramadan contributed to this report.
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