Russia acknowledges Syrian government losing control

On Thursday, Russia acknowledged that President Bashar Assad is losing control of Syria and that the rebels may succeed.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov did not mention that Russia would go ahead and impose international sanctions, his remarks can be seen taken as a betrayal of their ally.

The Associated Press reports that this new turn could go well in the Syria rebels favor. The rebels have made serious gains, capturing two military bases.

“We must look at the facts: There is a trend for the government to progressively lose control over an increasing part of the territory," Bogdanov, the Foreign Ministry's pointman on Syria, said during hearings at a Kremlin advisory body, the Public Chamber

Bogdanov address the rebels as the opposition of Syria and on Thursday said: "Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the victory of the Syrian opposition."

BBC News adds that Bogdanov repeated Russia's call for dialogue between the two sides, predicting that the fighting would grow more intense.

"If such a price for ousting the president seems acceptable to you, then what can we do? We consider it unacceptable," he said.