“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles,” said a statement attributed to Assad and shared on his Telegram account.

Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad planned to keep fighting rebel forces in the country before Russia evacuated him, according to a statement attributed to him released Monday.

“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles,” Assad, 59, said on his Telegram account.

Assad said he remained in Damascus until the early hours of Dec. 8 — the day the rebels entered Syria’s capital.