Russia suffers reputational damage from wars in Ukraine and Syria, says UK intelligence

Russia suffered blows to its reputation due to the wars in Ukraine and Syria, – British intelligence Vladislav Kravtsov

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has dealt Russia undeniable blows to its reputation. The aggressor country will try to restore its image and will try to cooperate with the new Syrian government.

This was reported by 24 Channelciting a December 13 intelligence review from the UK Ministry of Defence on social media.

How the fall of Syria has affected Russia's reputation

British intelligence says the Kremlin almost certainly views the collapse of the Assad regime, its former Syrian ally, as damaging to both its regional strategic interests and its image as a guarantor of security.

The Russian leadership sees the war in Ukraine as its top priority. Russia's prioritization of the conflict in Ukraine has likely worsened Moscow's ability to keep the Assad regime in power, the report says.

The department also emphasized that Russia's main goal in Syria now is to maintain control over its naval base in Tartus and air base in Khmeimim. The aggressor country needs this to ensure strategic access to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, supporting its goals in Africa.

“The collapse of the Assad regime has almost certainly increased the risk to the security of these military bases,” British intelligence noted.

They also emphasized that in the short term, Russia will most likely try to restore its reputation as a reliable partner and cooperate diplomatically with all involved entities in Syria, trying to negotiate security guarantees for its military bases.

By the way, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian army began evacuating from Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. To do this, Russia deployed military transport aircraft and ships that are transporting the remaining troops, weapons and equipment.