How Putin is using lessons learned in Syria

"There are countless differences between Moscow’s ongoing attack on Ukraine and its six-year-old military intervention in Syria that turned the tide of the war for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," writes Danny Makki in Damascus for Middle East Eye.

"But the two are inextricably linked now more than ever. In Syria, Russia has tested and refined cutting-edge weapons and secured air and naval bases on the Mediterranean, all of which are proving key for Ukraine, say analysts.

"Perhaps most importantly, they say, Russia’s powerplay in Syria has set the tone for a more aggressive, adventurous foreign policy, initially in the Middle East and now unfolding in Ukraine."

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