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

The fall of Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad marks a significant defeat for Putin. The group of dictators he supported must now question whether backing the Russian leader was a wise choice. However,

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin warned that he might lift self-imposed restrictions on Russia’s development of short- and medium-range missiles, while warning that the West was pushing on “a red line we can’t step back from.

Though reluctantly given sanctuary by an exasperated Putin, fallen dictator Bashar Assad may yet be leveraged in Russia's attempts to maintain its military clout in Syria.

Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani positioned himself as a statesman who can unite Syria, in a meeting with foreign journalists in Damascus.

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the large number of men signing up for the Russian military voluntarily was turning the tide of the Ukraine war in Moscow's favour and said he hoped his army would keep advancing.

Moscow will prioritize seizing full control of its remaining annexed Ukrainian territories next year, including the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.