Putin's failure in Syria: Yermak explained how the war in Ukraine became a fatal blow for Russia.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has undermined Russia's ability to support Bashar al-Assad's regime. The redirection of resources to the Ukrainian front has rendered Moscow powerless in Syria, marking a strategic defeat for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The West must take this context into account in its support for Ukraine, emphasized Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in a column for The Wall Street Journal on December 19.

This failure of Putin demonstrates the limits of Russian military power and undermines its authority on a global scale. At the same time, Russia's strategic defeat in Syria is a direct result of U.S. support for Ukraine in the face of Putin's imperial ambitions—highlighting a strategic success for Washington and its allies, Yermak stressed.

"Thanks to the material support from the U.S., Ukraine has withstood the assault of the Russian army and exhausted Russia's military and diplomatic resources. The continuous pressure from the U.S. on multiple fronts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, including U.S. support for Israel, has destroyed the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah, striking a blow to the authoritarian axis led by Russia and Iran," the head of the Office of the President reminded.

The Ukrainian official emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have inflicted significant losses on the occupiers over nearly three years of war, greatly weakening the Russian army. Yermak pointed out that this success has come at a high cost for Ukraine: tens of thousands of soldiers have died, hundreds of thousands are wounded, and the country has been devastated by Russian strikes.

At the same time, sanctions imposed on Russia have contributed to raising inflation above 9%, increasing the risk of mass bankruptcies throughout the Russian economy, he added.

"As his army and economy have degraded, and his focus is fixed on Ukraine, Putin has had no choice but to allow the Assad regime to fall," stated the head of the Office of the President.

Yermak emphasized that Assad was Putin's key ally in the Middle East. Over the past decade, Russia has spent billions of dollars supporting Assad's regime against the Syrian people, using strategic military bases in Syria to attempt to "balance" the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) throughout the region. Putin has also used Syria as a platform to undermine U.S. allies in Africa.

"Finally, from its positions in Syria, Russia and Iran have exported their malign anti-Americanism. But the Kremlin's inability to save Assad's regime sends a message to other despots relying on Russia that Putin cannot be trusted," Yermak noted.

The head of the Office of the President underscores that with the ongoing support from the U.S., Ukraine remains ready to fend off the Russian onslaught. Yermak highlighted that together, the U.S. and Ukraine can "capitalize on Putin's weakened position."

"We are confident that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine, and that Russia and Iran will suffer new defeats as a result. American leadership is crucial," Yermak concluded.

It is worth noting that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated that the removal of the Russians and Assad from Syria could turn out to be the best thing that could happen to them. According to him, Russia, due to its "heavy engagement" in Ukraine and losses of over 600,000 soldiers there, is unable to defend Syria—a country it has considered "its own" in the Middle East for years. Yermak, in turn, noted that Putin's geopolitical folly brings Russia closer to a collapse similar to Assad's.

The Russians Cling to Syria

The sudden collapse of Bashar Assad's regime, which Russia has actively supported since 2015, represents a serious political failure for the Kremlin. This event has created a new crisis for Moscow, which seeks to maintain its military bases and geopolitical influence in Syria. The situation may lead to significant geopolitical losses for Russia and tarnish its reputation as an ally.

Comments about Assad's flight primarily mean this: Russia's defeat is visible to the whole world. And everyone understands that this is a blow to Putin's plans, through which he has tried to demonstrate for some time that Russia is an influential geopolitical player using Syria. And that influence vanished in just 10 days. That is already enough to record Russia's "Syrian campaign" as a liability, which has long been considered successful within the aggressor country.

The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) notes that the state of the Russian contingent in Syria, after the Assad regime's collapse, remains "catastrophic". The Russian military is hastily withdrawing personnel, equipment, and armaments. They have engaged additional ships from the Baltic Fleet for this purpose. Meanwhile, the Russian contingent is experiencing shortages of water and food.

However, the Kremlin is attempting not to completely withdraw military bases from Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad's regime. Nevertheless, Russia is pulling back its military contingent from the northern part of the country and checkpoints in the Alawite mountains. It is reported that Russia is negotiating with the new authorities in Syria regarding the future of its military bases on the territory of the state. Among Russian soldiers, there are discussions that the Kremlin has agreed to maintain a presence at the Syrian bases in Tartus and Khmeimim. This involves up to three thousand servicemen, according to the GUR.