Leonid Bershidsky: Russian casualties would take a toll on Assad
A Syrian man rides a bike past damaged buildings in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, on October 25, 2015.
There is a powerful reason President Vladimir Putin won't win Bashar al-Assad's war for him. As with Russia's limited military participation in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Putin doesn't want casualties, because not even his powerful propaganda machine can conceal them.
