The Russian Military in Syria

On April 5, the Center for the National Interest hosted a panel discussion on the Russian military’s role in Syria in light of the partial withdrawal of forces recently announced by President Vladimir Putin and the fragile ceasefire. Two leading experts on Russian affairs–Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Professor of National Security Studies at the U.S. Naval War College and former Editor of The National Interest, and Michael Kofman, Research Fellow at CNA Corporation and a Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute–took part in a timely discussion of Russia’s continued importance to the military balance and diplomatic process in the Syrian Civil War. The Center’s Executive Director, Paul Saunders, moderated the discussion.