  s/1862094115972026392 the unexpected offensive by syrian rebels against the forces of assad's government, backed by russia, has become yet another element of global pressure on moscow. behind the rebels stands turkeya clear signal that ankara has aligned itself against russia in the broader global confrontation. if putin does not stop now, the situation for russia will only deteriorate further. on november 27, syrian rebels launched a major offensive against assads forces in aleppo province. this marks the first significant confrontation in years. the rebels captured 13 settlements, including two towns and a government military base, advancing close to the city of aleppo itself. the offensive threatens aleppos capture, which would weaken russias position in syria while strengthening turkey, a supporter of the rebels. context on november 24, putin and erdoan held a phone conversation. officially, the discussion centered on "enhancing trade cooperation." in reality, putin likely appealed to erdoan to influence the syrian opposition's plans to attack aleppo. the response is evident. the aleppo offensive should be analyzed within the broader context of pressure on russia:  u.s. authorization of strikes deep into russian territory using american weapons.  increased sanctions on the russian economy, resulting in a collapse of the ruble against the euro and the dollar. > part 1
Anarchist