[EnderWiggin1970]

I read a couple articles this morning on how Assad's fall is supposedly so terrible for Russia. Both were entirely predicated on the notion that Russia is losing its military bases in Syria, and nothing else. But the chatter this morning elsewhere has been that Russia is likely to come to an agreement with the new government and will retain its bases (just as the US is still in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba).

Given the new government is probably less ideologically opposed to Russia than Cuba was to the US, I expect some combination of carrot and stick on the part of the Russians will lead to them retaining control of their bases. In which case this "stranded in Syria" propaganda is just more nonsense. No more stranded than the US is in Guantanamo Bay.

[marcusmaximus]

Assad is under house arrest in Moscow and a bargaining chip in the negotiations between Putin and the muzzie terrorists blocking the Russian bases.

[Nextrush]

This has the smell of Ukrainian origin one could argue.

[Chad_the_Impaler]

The bases are not going to be secure. The rebels are just outside the airbase, firing into the air as Russian vehicles drive by. They have released drone surveillance footage showing the expensive Russian jets in easy range of any rebel who wants to take a shot.