No dictatorship lasts forever, and all dictators are mortal. Putin, due to his age alone, may "kick the bucket" very soon, although, unlike ordinary Russians, he can afford proper medical care. The events in Syria are clearly a significant blow to his nervous system and 1/9
heart health. Such a scenario is now easy to imagine within Russia itself. The fall of Assad created a power vacuum in Syria, and now several countries are advancing their interests. Sunnis backed by Turkey, Kurds supported by the U.S., factions supported by Israel, Iran and 2/9
remnants of Hezbollah, along with the remains of Russian units — all of it has become a chaotic mix. It's far too early to speak of an end to the crisis. Stability in Syria will not return soon. Over the years, Assad destroyed the moderate opposition, leaving only the most 3/9
extreme radicals. After so many years of brutality, it's highly likely that the oppressed will now become the oppressors. The footage from Syrian prisons is horrifying, but this could be repeated if a new dictatorship is established or if the country slides into another civil 4/9
war. The leaders of the rebel group "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" are radical Islamists, and it's hard to say how much their promises can be trusted. However, what is happening in Syria may also await Russia. Putin has spent years crushing the moderate opposition, and when his 5/9
power begins to collapse, radicals will inevitably seize the opportunity to make their move in the ensuing power vacuum. The war is flooding Russia with cheap weapons, which are being sold illegally by soldiers themselves. The Caucasus remains restless, and Kadyrov's 6/9
position has also become shaky. People are taking him less seriously, and they no longer fear his threats. Kadyrov's men recently lost a minor "battle" over the Wildberries marketplace. Other Chechen clans and Dagestanis have noticed this and are ready to begin re-dividing 7/9
businesses and spheres of influence. Violence is inevitable. By destroying anyone who could have helped the country recover from a post-war crisis after Russia loses and its economy fully collapses, 8/9
Putin has ensured that the country will fall into chaos, paving the way for the most radical opponents to rise to power. 9/9
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Russia continues to advance and achieve local successes in the areas of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. However, it is difficult to call this a success, as it comes at a huge cost in Russian losses. In this sense, the report differs little from previous ones from this section of the
1/22
front. But the main events of recent days are, of course, in Syria. The regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen, and it took only a few days for this to happen. Bashar al-Assad was the last dictator from the era of the Arab Spring. Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak, Abdelaziz Bouteflika,
2/22
Muammar Gaddafi – for various reasons, they are no longer in power. Among all the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, Syria saw the highest number of casualties and destruction. Protests, which escalated into a civil war, began in 2011. Losing power and control,
3/22
The recent setbacks of the Russian military in Syria could prompt the Kremlin to strengthen its influence in Georgia as a way to compensate for its declining regional power. With its reputation in ruins and the world growing less fearful of Russia, Moscow may seek to
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reassert its presence where it can. Although Russia currently lacks the resources to deploy troops into Georgia, it still has enough financial leverage to ensure that the Georgian Dream party remains in a strong position. This could enable Russia to spark renewed conflicts
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in Abkhazia or South Ossetia, capitalizing on the existing tensions in these regions. Even if Russia were to withdraw, there is no guarantee that the Georgian Dream party would step down. If they manage to consolidate their power, they could continue to govern unchecked,
3/16
The attempt to ignite a conflict in the Middle East and draw Israel into it and distract the West from Ukraine turned out to be a shot in the foot for Putin. After several crushing blows to Hezbollah, Israel has greatly weakened the group, and Bashar Assad relied on it, 1/8
among other things. The weakening of forces was used by the rebels fighting against Assad. Government troops are retreating and Aleppo has already come under the control of the rebels. A lot of weapons have been captured, including Russian equipment. Syria was an important 2/8
stronghold for Russia in the region, from where operations in the Middle East and Africa were coordinated. Syria was an important logistical hub, from where Russian weapons and Russian military specialists were delivered, mainly arriving by sea through the Mediterranean Sea 3/8
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is now "waving his 'Oreshnik'" only to thwart Donald Trump's efforts to stop the war. Direct speech: "And today in Kazakhstan, Putin again advertised his missiles - his readiness 1/5
to kill and destroy. Putin obviously wants to add thousands more to the thousands of missiles that have already hit Ukraine. He does not need this war to end. In addition, Putin does not want to let others end this war. He can wave his 'Oreshnik' now only to thwart 2/5
President Trump's efforts, which will definitely happen after the inauguration. Putin wants to escalate the situation now so that President Trump will not succeed, so that he will not be able to end the war. Putin is the only culprit 3/5
The average life expectancy of a Russian assault trooper after signing a contract is from two weeks to a month. The Russian offensive continues and it has made advances in several areas at once. Russian troops have advanced to the areas of Kurakhove, Rozdolne,
1/11
Velyka Novosilka. These advances are causing record losses. Daily losses of about 1,600 people - twice as many as exactly a year ago. Russia has turned into a huge conveyor belt of death, destroying Ukraine and devouring itself from the inside. Confirmation of another
2/11
execution of 5 Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered in the Pokrovsk direction has appeared on the Internet. Unfortunately, there are many more such cases, and we can guess what is happening in the occupied territories, but the full scale of Russian crimes will appear before us
3/11
The declassified British intelligence memo about Russia's involvement in the poisonings in the EU has caused a lot of noise in the media, but even when it was happening, there were many people who pointed to Russia's involvement. Back then, everyone wanted to be friends with
1/15
Russia and it didn't cause any response. It hardly does now. Today's plane crash in Vilnius happened 20 days after the WSJ wrote about Russia's plans to sabotage airlines. The investigation has just begun, but if it is established that the fire on board was caused by
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deliberate actions, Russia is the main suspect. After Trump's victory, Russia has stepped up its attacks on the European Union and continues to test how far it can go. So far, EU countries, especially its largest members, such as Germany and France, have never responded to
3/15