Russia Info Sheet

Who:

• Vladimir Putin
  • President of Russia 2000-2008, 2012 – , and Prime Minister 2008-2012
  • Member of the United Russia (Russian conservatism) and All-Russia People’s Front (conservative and statist) party
• Permanent member of the UN Security Council

Overview:

• Strategic concern to assert/maintain Russian power
  • Involved in several Eastern European conflicts, particularly the Ukrainian Crisis (2014 – ) and have growing presence in region
• Establishment of port at Tartus and airfield in Latakia, Syria
  • Gives Russia access to the Mediterranean

Priorities:

• Peace talks for the future of Syrian, work with Assad
  • Provide diplomatic and military advisement to Assad’s regime
• Suppress and defeat rebel agitations
• Protect economic investments in the region
  • Weapon sales and territory
• Block American influence in the region
• Protect one of few foreign allies

Support:

• Syria
• Iran
• Hezbollah

Political Associations:

• Long-time ally of Syria’s socialist Baath regime since the 1950s
  • Financially and militarily supportive
• Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Soviet Union and the Syrian Arab Republic, 1980

Criticisms:

• Supporting an authoritarian regime
  • Lack of acknowledgement of Assad’s human rights violations
• Domestic and international criticism of human rights violations within Russia
• Blocking UN action critical of Assad along with China