Russia and the Syrian Civil War

Abstract

After more than five years now, the Syrian civil war has become the defining crisis of the Middle East region, claiming more than 300.000 lives, while giving an opportunity to Russia to reassert its previously lost presence in the region. The author aims at summing up Russia’s role in the Syrian civil war, searching for answers to questions like what could be the main motivational factor behind the Russian military intervention in 2015, what policy or strategy was followed then, and why do Syria’s ceasefires keep collapsing?