Fall of Assad is a blow to Russia’s prestige

The statement announcing Assad’s arrival in Moscow also mentioned that Russian officials were in contact with representatives of “the Syrian armed opposition”.

The state TV anchor said opposition leaders had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the territory of Syria.

Russia’s foreign ministry says the bases in Syria have been put “on a state of high alert”, but claims there is “no serious threat to them at the current time.”

Bashar al-Assad was Russia’s staunchest ally in the Middle East. The Kremlin had invested heavily in him. The Russian authorities will struggle to present his toppling as anything but a setback for Moscow.

Still, they’re trying… and looking for scapegoats.

On Sunday night Russian state TV’s flagship weekly news show took aim at the Syrian army, apparently blaming it for not fighting back against the rebels.

“Everyone could see that the situation was becoming more and more dramatic for the Syrian authorities,” anchor Yevgeny Kiselev said.

“But in Aleppo, for example, positions were given up virtually without a fight. Fortified areas were surrendered one after another and then blown up, despite [government troops] being better equipped and outnumbering the attacking side many times over. It’s a mystery!”

The anchor claimed that Russia “had always hoped for reconciliation [between different sides] in Syria.”

Then his final point:

“Of course we are not indifferent to what is happening in Syria. But our priority is Russia’s own security – what is happening in the zone of the Special Military Operation [Russia’s war in Ukraine].”

There’s a clear message here for the Russian public.

Despite nine years of Russia pouring resources into keeping Bashar al-Assad in power, Russians are being told they have more important things to worry about.