putin

Earlier this week news reports broke that Putin’s Russia had upped the ante from merely enabling the carnage in Syria through cynical obstruction to actively aiding it as a Marine squad of Russian “anti-terror troops”  arrived at Tartus, home to Russia’s only remaining foreign naval base. The news should not come as a shock to anyone who’s been paying attention, given that independent Russian journalists on the ground have now for some time been reporting that groups associated with Russian special forces have been operating in the country as “volunteers” in support of the Assad regime, and the fact that Russia’s defense minister has even acknowledged the presence of “military and technical advisors.” Continue reading →