Situation in Syria: the Kremlin has lost a key zone of influence in the Middle East
Syrian rebels have captured Damascus. The Russian Foreign Ministry reports that Bashar al-Assad has decided to “peacefully step down from power.”
At the same time, the Russian military is withdrawing ships from its base in Tartus and airlifting the remaining weapons from Khmeimim. As a result, Russia has lost a key zone of influence in the Middle East, including its logistics hubs.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation and an officer in the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the main reason for Russia’s failure in Syria is Putin’s decision to eliminate Prigozhin and the Wagner group. “For years, Prigozhin was the architect of Russia’s influence in the Middle East and Africa. Syria was the key to Africa because of Russia’s military bases and the fleet’s access to the Mediterranean. But Putin panicked and killed Prigozhin, and the entire system collapsed,” he said.
“Now, Russia’s influence in Africa will weaken. Now Moscow is accusing Iran of betraying Syria. Yesterday, I wrote that the so-called ‘axis of evil’ is like a house of cards—shaky and far from being a true alliance. It’s nothing more than a club of interests,” summed up Andriy Kovalenko.
