Putin’s aim, IMHO, is Israel... to take a spoil, of oil and gas and technologies... also, look at that long coast line. It’s prophesied in the Bible too (of course, that’s the premise of my assertion)... Read Ezekiel 38 and 39. Many bible scholars believe that the end times are upon us. And that preparation needs to be made in every man’s soul, that is, to acknowledge God as creator of all and lover of our souls, as expressed in the sacrifice of God’s own son on the cross for the forgiveness of sin John 3:16... God’s word promises that if you confess with your mouth that Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Hime from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10: 9,10.
or not
Let’s assume for a minute that Putin is not using the Bible as an outline for his political or military ambitions.
Before oil, or rebuilding the Soviet empire, or attacking Israel, or anything else, Putin NEEDS a warm water port for his Navy.
As for Israel, Putin is more than happy to have his Islamic proxies address that.