Russia’s air operations in Syria have triggered speculation concerning Moscow’s objectives, the length of the campaign, as well as the levels of planning involved. On the one hand, Russia’s information campaign describes a limited engagement, which boosts domestic support for the intervention. The Kremlin fears Russian forces becoming embroiled on the ground, so it casts the operation as “temporary” and maintains deniability in relation to military fatalities—an echo of Russia’s experience in Ukraine’s Donbas. But on the other hand, there is evidence of Kremlin-directed strategic objectives, alliance building, detailed political-military planning, and possible mission creep being concealed by a new …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation