World press on Russia's recent reaction to Syrian crisis (December 13, 2012)

"Russia: Syria’s Assad could be defeated by rebels" is an article published today by the Washington Post. "After nearly two years of offering unwavering support to the beleaguered government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Russia said for the first time on Thursday that it believes rebels could prevail in the country’s bloody civil war," the article's beginning reads.
"There was no sign that Moscow — Syria’s most powerful patron — would join other foreign nations, including the United States, in supporting the opposition or pressuring Assad to step down. ut the statement from the Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was an indication that even the Syrian government’s strongest allies must now acknowledge the gains that rebel forces have made in recent weeks."
Another article dedicated to the same topic appeared today in the New York Times entitled "Russian Envoy Says Syrian Leader Is Losing Control." "It was the first time an official at Mr. Bogdanov’s level... sent a clear message to the Syrian government that Russia no longer held out hope that the government could prevail," the author of the article writes.
"Russia is eager to protect its strategic interests in Syria, including a naval facility at the port of Tartus, and has been meeting frequently with opposition delegations, presumably laying the groundwork for a possible transition. In his remarks to the Public Chamber, a Kremlin advisory group, Mr. Bogdanov said he believed that half the Russian citizens living in Syria supported the rebels."
"For many months, the Russian authorities have resisted Western pressure to persuade Mr. Assad to step down. Though Russia has said it supports the creation of a transitional government, it has been at odds with the West on whether Mr. Assad — and his ally Iran — would have a voice in it."