
From Assad’s Backer to His Sanctuary, Russia Has Been Humiliated
The Syrian people achieved what once seemed impossible. They rid themselves of the brutal dictator who massacred hundreds of thousands in one of the most repressive states. Bashar al-Assad, infamous for his chemical attacks, war crimes, and alliances with Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah in his violent crackdown, fled to Russia as his regime crumbled.
This marked a monumental achievement for Syrians, whose resilience matched their relentless opposition to a brutal regime propped up for over a decade by foreign powers. Chief among them is Russia.
Syrian rebels seized Damascus unopposed after a lightning advance through the country, forcing Assad to seek asylum in Russia after a 13-year conflict and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule. Assad now joins treasonous former Ukrainian president Yanukovych, another pro-Kremlin leader who fled to Russia.
For Russia, the fall of Assad is humiliating and a severe blow to its global image after Moscow spent over a decade keeping him in power. But despite its promises of unwavering support, Russia ultimately failed to prevent Assad’s collapse — a stark reflection of its very limited resources.
There is also the question of how Russia’s military and intelligence missed signs that rebel forces were preparing an offensive. This failure allowed opposition fighters to overrun key territories, catching Assad’s regime and Moscow off guard. Rumors of the dismissal of Lieutenant General Sergey Kisel, who was in charge of Moscow’s operations in Syria, highlight growing discontent within Russia’s leadership, raising questions about its competence and signaling potential upheaval in the wake of its strategic failures in Syria.
Russia officially entered the Syrian conflict in 2015, launching airstrikes that targeted not only opposition groups but also civilian housing, schools, hospitals, and humanitarian corridors. For over a decade, Russia’s brutal tactics, including carpet bombing cities, mirrored the strategy it later used in its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Yet, despite Moscow projecting ‘strength’, it was unable to stop the downfall of Assad’s regime.
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