The Russian side has not answered the American missiles “Tomahawk”, which was released at the air base “Shirt” in response to a chemical attack in Khan Sheyhun, although he was able to do it. Created a new weak legend about the responsibility of the opposition for the attack, but to insist on it, Russia did not. When Washington threatened new missile strikes against the Assad regime, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on defense and security Viktor Ozerov said that Russian armed forces in Syria would not attempt to intercept any American missiles. Lake argued that these forces are in Syria in order to fight terrorism, not to withstand external threats, literally: “Such a mandate we have, and catch nothing”.
The first reaction to the chemical attack in Khan Sheyhun was active, but still a pathetic attempt to defend Assad. Response to attack missiles “Tomahawk” — nothing more than words about the escalation, not bearing any result. The Russian side condemning these attacks will not reduce the importance of American messages, and the suspension of Russian-American military agreement does not change the situation on the ground.
When Russian policy experts have argued that Putin is dissatisfied with the behavior of the Assad regime, no clear evidence of this was. However, in light of the efforts of the West to form a unified front to support the decision to overthrow Assad, Putin may face difficulty more than just his defense, as happened this time. The international community unanimously condemned the massacre in Khan Sheyhun, pinned to the wall. The attack itself for Putin is personal. The head of the Kremlin, an agreement with Assad in 2013, and showed himself as a peacemaker, persuaded Americans to cut a deal, to dismantle the Arsenal of chemical weapons of Assad and destroy it. Now in the eyes of the world Putin now appears to be a victim or tricks the Syrian President or his partner in the fraudulent agreement on the conservation of this weapon.
This is not the first case when the Assad puts the President in an awkward position. But this time Assad has put him weak, and weakness is not the most favorite feature for people like Putin.
Of course, Putin will not be easy to abandon Assad. To maintain its cost to the Russian President many resources. However, the protection of Assad will cost him much more, and this time after it comes serious consequences if the U.S. military leadership decided to broaden its objectives in Syria, from the destruction of the “Islamic state” (banned in Russia — approx. ed.) and ending with the end of the war in Syria and the implementation of the pressure for a political settlement. A possible isolation of Russia, but recent reports from Washington and the existing contradiction in the positions of officials of the US administration does not mean that the final decision is made.
