Notice that one of their major initial objectives is to seal the border with Turkey.
This is because Turkey is the major supply route for the various factions in Syria (and Iraq). And that is Turkish policy.
Note, also, just how effective Russian air support, backed by coalition ground forces, has been. Air power without decent boots is great for destruction and not much else, but it really is a force multiplier if you have the troops to exploit it. This is Russia giving its ally an air force, in the same way the US has so often done.
Finally, note that Russia has just given itself a major presence in the Middle East by becoming a strong ally of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and (downstream) Hezbollah. Don’t think they’ll forget who bailed them out on this.
I’ll have a longer guest post up on Russian strategy in historical context posted soon, I hope.
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