Is Putin playing West for a fool in Syria?

But for the Russians, the agreement brokered in Munich to halt the fighting in Syria is neither.

'Despite these accords, Russia will continue its counter-terrorism operation of the air task force,' Vladmir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the Russian International Affairs Committee, told state media.

The agreement relates 'only to the warring groupings,' he went on, 'not to terrorists on the territory of Syria.'



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Russia therefore believes its airstrikes in Aleppo are not included, nor are attacks against what Moscow calls terrorist targets across Syria.

It is a glaring hole in the 'cessation' to say the least.

Russian air power is now ferociously pounding the areas of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, still under rebel control.

According to the Russian defense ministry, 510 combat sorties were carried out across Syria by its warplanes last week alone, many of them focused on supporting Syrian troop advances aimed an encircling Aleppo.

The defense ministry reports engaging 1,888 'terrorist objects.' There's been no indication that pace of strikes, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, is set to decrease.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Thank you Russia, thank you Iran'

Is victory even possible?

On the ground, the result is straightforward. The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian air force and fighting alongside Iranian militia and other groups, is making substantial gains.

It is, in other words, winning.

That's not a word Western diplomats like to use, or even hear, when it comes to Russia, Syria or President Bashar al-Assad.

At a recent embassy briefing, one senior diplomat questioned the very idea of any victory being possible in Syria's quagmire.

And the diplomat may be right. Russia's intervention has turned the tables, saved al-Assad, and restored Moscow's self-image as a great power.

MORE: Inside Kremlin's creeping military campaign in Syria

But Russian President Vladimir Putin's end-game remains unclear.

How will al-Assad's forces, for instance, hang on to the territory they are so quickly seizing from the rebels?

Without the continued, indefinite and extremely costly backing of Russian air power, government forces may be too weak to maintain control.

After all, it's the reason al-Assad lost the territory in the first place.

It all points back to the old criticism of the Russian president one western diplomat told me recently.

'A master tactician, but a poor strategist,' the diplomat said.

We shall see.

MORE: Turkey's 'nightmare is coming true'

MORE: On the front lines of the battle for Aleppo

MORE: Sarajevo to Syria: Where is the world's moral compass?

MORE: On the front lines of the battle for Aleppo MORE: Turkey's 'nightmare is coming true' The defense ministry reports engaging 1,888 'terrorist objects.' There's been no indication that pace of strikes, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, is set to decrease. 'A master tactician, but a poor strategist,' the diplomat said. Without the continued, indefinite and extremely costly backing of Russian air power, government forces may be too weak to maintain control. That's not a word Western diplomats like to use, or even hear, when it comes to Russia, Syria or President Bashar al-Assad. MORE: Inside Kremlin's creeping military campaign in Syria It is a glaring hole in the 'cessation' to say the least. After all, it's the reason al-Assad lost the territory in the first place. EXCLUSIVE: 'Thank you Russia, thank you Iran' It all points back to the old criticism of the Russian president one western diplomat told me recently. Russian air power is now ferociously pounding the areas of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, still under rebel control. MORE: Turkey's 'nightmare is coming true' EXCLUSIVE: 'Thank you Russia, thank you Iran' How will al-Assad's forces, for instance, hang on to the territory they are so quickly seizing from the rebels? Is victory even possible? EXCLUSIVE: 'Thank you Russia, thank you Iran' MORE: Inside Kremlin's creeping military campaign in Syria We shall see. MORE: On the front lines of the battle for Aleppo The defense ministry reports engaging 1,888 'terrorist objects.' There's been no indication that pace of strikes, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, is set to decrease. MORE: Sarajevo to Syria: Where is the world's moral compass? MORE: Turkey's 'nightmare is coming true' MORE: Sarajevo to Syria: Where is the world's moral compass? 'A master tactician, but a poor strategist,' the diplomat said. On the ground, the result is straightforward. The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian air force and fighting alongside Iranian militia and other groups, is making substantial gains. But Russian President Vladimir Putin's end-game remains unclear. MORE: Inside Kremlin's creeping military campaign in Syria 'A master tactician, but a poor strategist,' the diplomat said. Is victory even possible? EXCLUSIVE: 'Thank you Russia, thank you Iran' The agreement relates 'only to the warring groupings,' he went on, 'not to terrorists on the territory of Syria.'

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