Russia tells rebels to leave Syria's Aleppo by Friday evening

Russia is finding out the hard way that their interference in supporting Assad equals extending the Syrian civil war to much longer than it has to be. The anti-government "rebels" aren't going to stop. And they're always going to be there just under to surface looking for a chance again.

Not really. If Assad were to fall, the Civil War wouldn't end, it would just enter a new stage. The rebels are divided between Kurds, different Islamist groups, a few moderates and other sectarian forces. Rebels have also shown willing to commit atrocities on minorities like Alawites and Christians, and so if Assad were to fall, his supporters would probably set up militias to defend themselves from the rebels. Warlords would thus likely tear Syria apart, each forming his own fiefdom.

Even if the different factions stop fighting as hard against one another, they are unlikely to have the capacity to re-establish stability and public services adequately. See Libya for instance which is in a low-level civil war since Qaddafi fell. The economy is in shambles, thousands have been killed, militias arbitrarily rule over neighborhoods, two competing governments exist in Libya with Islamist militias trying to establish satellites of the Islamic State and up to a third of the population has supposedly fled to Tunisia. The GDP per capita (PPP) is about half what it was in the 1990s and it's still falling year by year since 2012.

Assad is ultimately the only chance for peace and stability in Syria right now, he is the only hope Syrians have to be able to live their lives normally. If not him, who else?

Putin is a mixture of political machination and bluster. The Russians have probably used up all their older sell-by weapons and now find themselves having to pay to support an increasingly drawn-out war burden. This moratorium or temporary respite will have been as much for the Russian air crews and supply staff as for the rebels. Full-on commitment is very tiring. No wonder they have ignored the Syrian government demands to resume the bombing. Maybe even he miscalculated the protracted nature of this religious war.

On top of which he has coaxed this carrier-centric fleet around Europe and into the Mediterranean. My guess is that Syria is not its eventual destination, but that it will be going to the Crimea in a show of strength to his rebels there, and maybe shown off just a little here and there on the way.

Is that the news from the Putin channel? What happened to "Assad has won"?

NATO trolls alive and kicking?! Then tell me what happened to the "Assad lost, Assad must go" mantra?

The reality is that Don Putin is in a panic to level Aleppo before Hillary Clinton in inaugurated in January. The Don is a wise man after all, he knows Clinton will stand up

The only correct part in this phrase of yours is that Putin is a wise man. That's why I think he is secretly a great fan of Killary, because she provided KGB with a trove of information through her careless use of email.

It is sad to see a Briton to pin all his hopes not on the might of UK, but on cousins across the Puddle.

Russia is finding out the hard way that their interference in supporting Assad equals extending the Syrian civil war to much longer than it has to be. The anti-government "rebels" aren't going to stop. And they're always going to be there just under to surface looking for a chance again.

How the hell did all this even happen? All was pretty peaceful in Syria quite a while ago... Arab "spring"?

Is this whole Syria thing still going on? I hadn't checked in a while. A Russian friend of mine said it would be over in a few days but that was like....months ago? A year ago? I can't even remember anymore.

Anyway, good luck with whatever it is going on over there.

Is that the news from the Putin channel? What happened to "Assad has won"?

The reality is that Don Putin is in a panic to level Aleppo before Hillary Clinton in inaugurated in January. The Don is a wise man after all, he knows Clinton will stand up to his barbaric war in Syria. Putin is prepared to kill every last Syrian civilian to keep that lone Russian naval base.