Since Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s air operations in Syria, Russian experts and commentators have attempted to interpret this policy shift. Putin and other members of the political-military leadership claim the intervention is limited to sending arms to Damascus and conducting air operations to support the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies on the ground. Identifying the exact nature of “enemy” forces proved elusive, however, as the campaign proceeds under cover of an effort to combat the Islamic State (IS). The Russian leadership appears resigned to the idea that the conflict is militarily unwinnable, but solaces itself …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation