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 has sent a delegation to Damascus following the ousting of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad. The delegation, aimed at engaging with Syria's new leadership, includes key Russian diplomats. Moscow aims to maintain its naval and air bases in Tartous and Latakia.

Assad, fled to Moscow last year after being ousted in a lightning rebel offensive that ended five decades of rule by the Assad family.

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Russia said on Wednesday it had held "frank" discussions with Syria's new de facto leader as it tries to retain its two military bases in the country, but it declined to comment on what he was demanding in return.

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.

Russia deployed troops to Syria in 2015 to support Assad regime's brutal crackdown against anti-government forces.

Al-Sharaa is not willing to continue cooperation with Moscow without 'concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction, and recovery' after years of support for the Assad regime

It became known what the new Syrian authorities are demanding from Russia to preserve its military bases. Two of the conditions are unacceptable, the observer writes Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.

Syria has demanded reparations from Russia in order to "rebuild trust" after a meeting between Damascus' new administration and a Moscow delegation, according to local news sources. Russia and Syria's meeting to discuss future relations comes as Moscow looks to retain its two military bases in the Middle Eastern country.

In a pre-recorded speech, Sharaa vowed to "pursue the criminals who shed Syrian blood and committed massacres and crimes", whether they were in Syria or abroad, and to establish "real transitional justice" after Assad's fall.