Assad's downfall is a humbling blow to Russia. How will it affect Putin's prestige?

Almost exactly seven years ago, President Vladimir Putin stood with Russian troops at their air base in Syria and proudly declared victory over “terrorists” in that country as part of the Kremlin’s military intervention to prop up the government of Bashar Assad amid a civil war.

This weekend, those hard-won gains seemed a distant memory. Assad hastily fled to Moscow as his power crumbled during a lightning offensive by rebels that his main international allies, Russia and Iran, were unable to stem.

The Kremlin’s failure to prevent Assad’s swift downfall has exposed limits of Russia’s power and dented its international clout at a pivotal stage of its war in Ukraine.

A look at Russia’s involvement in Syria and the possible consequences of Assad’s demise for Moscow:

https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-syria-assad-ukraine-war-31fa9b933372b3704ed285c96863892b