Russia's War Against Ukraine
Paul Roderick Gregory: 10 reasons why Putin wins big in Syria while US gets nothing
A Russian top officer (R) decorates a Russian air force pilot with a medal upon his arrival from Syria at an airbase in the southern Russia's Krasnodar region, on March 16, 2016. Russia's surprise withdrawal continued March 16 as a second group of Russian warplanes flew out of Syria, with SU-25 combat aircraft and IL-76 transport planes pulled out of Russia's Hmeimim base in Syria.
Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he is pulling the main part of his armed forces out of Syria caught the world flat-footed. Putin’s word is not to be highly valued given his claims of no troops in Ukraine. He may not carry through as promised, but the announcement alone gives him the following domestic and foreign policy wins in descending order of importance:
