Moscow has taken these steps for two main
reasons. It is driven in part by concerns about
its strategic assets, such as its warships in the
port of Tartus in northern Syria. It is also
attempting to assert its international position
vis-à-vis the United States. The Syrian card has
proven useful for Russia in this respect—by
taking a hardline position toward the Syrian
crisis, Moscow has pushed Washington to
appeal to Russia as a superpower on par with
the United States.