MOSCOW - Russians in the capital city of Moscow expressed mixed views on the downfall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on Sunday, with some believing Russia may lose its influence in the Middle East unless it wants to embrace new realities on the ground.
"Russia may lose its influence in the Middle East. It's true that Russia wanted to support the Syrian government. But as it's clear, it's been a while since our state has been busy with war in Ukraine." said Alyona Panteleyeva, a teacher from Moscow.
The 50-year rule of the Assad family collapsed on Sunday following a rapid rebellion by Syrian militia groups, spearheaded by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), last month. They ousted Assad in the early hours of Sunday.
"It's embarrassing how much effort has been put in place since 2015. How many people were killed, how many Russian soldiers were killed… it benefited nobody," said Andrey Kropotkîn, a Moscow-based journalist.
Russia launched a military intervention in Syria in 2015 at Assad’s request, initially to "solely" focus on the "terrorist" groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS).