On March 14, 2016, Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of the majority of Russian military units from Syria, after, he claimed, the Russian force had achieved the goals set for it when it entered Syria five and a half months earlier. Soon after this surprising announcement, at least some Russian air force units were seen leaving Syria. The decision regarding the withdrawal of forces raised many questions, including: why did Moscow decide to withdraw its forces from Syria just then, when it enjoys the upper hand, just two weeks after the ceasefire reached by Russia and the United States went into effect, and before achieving the goals declared by Russia itself at the outset of the operation (to defeat the jihadists) or as understood by the West (to defeat the anti-Assad opposition)?
