Russia’s abandonment of the Assad regime to marshal more resources for the fight against Ukraine vividly illustrates that Putin is ready to sacrifice everything for total victory in the war. Although Putin tries to portray himself as a realist, he has become consumed with Ukraine, to the exclusion of almost all other foreign policy imperatives.

Russia sent a ship to evacuate soldiers and equipment from its bases in Syria, but it broke down en route, Ukrainian intelligence says.

Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty says that Vladimir Putin spinning Russia’s withdrawal from Syria as a victory could be a preview of how he will frame any possible ceasefire with Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today, discussing cooperation between Ukraine and Syria. The meeting focused on relations with Syria after the fall of the regime and the escape of Bashar al-Assad.

The Ursa Major ship went down after an explosion in the engine room, Russia's foreign ministry said.

The transfer marks the end of an era when Russia played an arguably oversized role in determining which countries could operate in Syria’s contested airspace.

With Russia’s diminished influence in Syria, Ukraine calls on Israel to reconsider its stance and provide essential defensive weapons and technology.

Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.

In abandoning Syria’s Bashar-al Assad, Vladimir Putin showed where his interests really lie, Alexandra Vacroux writes in a guest commentary.

Although Putin tries to portray himself as a realist, he has become consumed with Ukraine, to the exclusion of almost all other foreign policy imperatives,” the publication states. When Putin deployed troops to Syria,

Although Russia has managed to avoid an economic collapse, its war with Ukraine and military involvement in Syria have negatively affected its economy.