How Risky Is Putin's Move to Join Syrian Battlefield: Q&A
Putin's Strategy Behind the Russian Airstrikes in Syria
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Russia is embarking on its most ambitious military campaign outside former Soviet borders in more than three decades, launching airstrikes against mainly Sunni militants at the request of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russian pilots began bombing on Wednesday, the same day President Vladimir Putin passed a measure through parliament authorizing the use of force. The bold move has already pushed the U.S. and its allies to backpedal on demands for Assad’s immediate ouster by shifting the balance of power in the country’s 4 1/2 year civil war.