Russia has been aiding Assad both externally
and internally. In addition to blocking UN
Security Council resolutions against the
regime, Moscow has been assisting Assad’s
government in its fight against the opposition
on the ground. Russia’s military and
political assistance has given Assad leverage
and the confidence that he can win the conflict.
Moscow’s brokering of a deal in which
the Syrian regime agreed to the destruction
of its chemical weapons has also given Assad
a sense of legitimacy in relation to the international
community