VLADIMIR Putin will be tearing his hair out as he watches Syrian rebels overthrow his close pal President Assad, experts say.
Russia’s leader is currently facing a challenging situation as he is engaged in two conflicts simultaneously. His unlawful invasion of Ukraine is not going as planned, and there is a recent escalation of violence in Syria.
Rebel forces in northern Syria have made significant advances by launching a surprise attack to take control of Aleppo. This is a major setback for the Syrian leader, Assad.
His closest ally in Putin was left scrambling to protect his precious pal’s regime.
He quickly launched two rounds of aerial revenge strikes in a desperate attempt to halt the surging rebels as they headed south.
This has left Putin and his men badly overstretched as they continue to battle for territory in Ukraine on all fronts.
Despite Russia making up some gains in recent weeks they have now lost almost 750,000 soldiers due to Vlad’s meatgrinder approach.
The war is far from over with over a month to go before Donald Trump – the self-proclaimed saviour of the West – enters the White House.
President Trump has promised to bring an end to the conflict shortly after the start of his second term. This puts both Russia and Ukraine in a tense situation as they try to gain an advantage before Trump assumes control.
This leaves Putin desperate to make further moves in Ukraine and illegally grab as much as he can.
And now with the two-pronged conflicts in Ukraine and Syria has meant Putin has “bitten off more than he can chew”.
Intelligence expert Anthony Glees told The Sun: “He has been trying to use every which way to maximise his position in Ukraine but now suddenly this siege of Aleppo has cropped up.
“He must be very worried indeed that he’s biting off more than he can chew.
“Putin doesn’t have much hair, but what little hair he has, I suspect he’s tearing it out this morning as he is in a very dodgy place right now.”
Glees also says that Putin’s tough man act is all well and good when he is making gains in Ukraine.
His ability to boast about his new hypersonic missiles and send chilling threats to the West only works when he is in control, Glees claims.
But the fall of Aleppo is a major issue for Russia leaving Putin scrambling to arm Assad and fend off the rebels.
Even with Russia’s fiery arsenal, fighting on two fronts is near impossible, warns Glees – even for a man with an ego like Putin.
“Fighting a war on two fronts is very, very difficult, and history shows that time and time again you really can only focus on one front at a time,” he said.
“But you cannot escape reality. He’s fighting a war, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of young Russian lives to get Ukraine.
“And if he’s overstretched, if Assad is overthrown then that is an almighty blow to Putin so he will do everything he can to stop it.”
Putin is expected to be forced into making a major decision in the coming days if the rebels continue their advance south.
They already claim to control Aleppo as well as much of the Idlib region and Hama.
Syria‘s military – backed by Russian air attacks – are expected to form a “defensive line” to block off any further push.
If there’s bad news for Assad in Syria there’s bad news for Putin in Russia
Anthony Glees
But with dozens of armed rebels ready to fight to the death the situation looks bleak for Assad and his global cronies.
Iran has so far stayed quiet in the wake of the siege as they appear to be keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Israel‘s next move.
Hezbollah and Iran are still anticipating war with Israel in Lebanon despite recent news of a ceasefire – with Iran eager to keep their proxy ready.
This leaves Putin as Assad’s only remaining ally he can turn to.
The Kremlin has already been forced to turn to friends of their own in North Korea and Kim Jong-un for support in Ukraine.
Up to 10,000 of Kim’s troops have been reportedly readied up and deployed to the front lines in Kursk as a desperate Putin seeks to destroy Ukraine.
As Syrian rebels continue to rear their heads this means Vlad may become forced to defend with boots on the ground instead of senseless airstrikes.
Sending more of his own troops across to the Middle East is a move Russia was trying to avoid at all costs but keeping Assad in charge of Syria is crucial.
Putin’s power in the Middle East relies on his influence in Syria meaning any loss of ground is a serious show of weakness to the West.
Colonel Richard Kemp told The Sun that the rebel blitz may be in Syria but it is a massive issue for Russia.
He said: “The renewed insurgency in Syria is a major blow for Putin.
“It is not only a challenge to Assad but also to Russia which has long been supporting the Assad regime and, with Iran, prevented Assad’s downfall.
“With Iran in a weakened position, there will be greater pressure on Russia now to defend the regime.”
Putin doesn’t have much hair, but what little hair he has, I suspect he’s tearing it out this morning as he is in a very dodgy place right now
Anthony Glees
Glees also says the internal debate whether to deploy Russian soldiers in Aleppo and the surrounding areas to wrestle back control puts Putin in a “quandary”.
Any further weakening of his political presence in the continent could prove as a breaking point for his ambitions as a global superpower.
Leaving his military without the extra forces back home in Ukraine could also prove to be the opportunity the West needs to finally push back and regain control in the region themselves.
Glees says he is holding out hope that the rebels in Syria continue to put pressure on Putin to make a decision, he said: “We are keeping our fingers crossed that there is bad news for Assad in Syria.
“If there’s bad news for Assad in Syria there’s bad news for Putin in Russia.
“And if there’s bad news for Putin in Russia, there is good news for the brave, brave people of Ukraine and for us here in the UK.”
