© AFP 2016/ FADI AL-HALABI |
The battle for the city of Aleppo is shaping to become a milestone in the Syrian conflict; its outcome will most likely determine the fate of the country, if not the Middle East, philosopher and anthropologist Vladimir Lepekhin, director of EurAsEc (The Eurasian Economic Community) Institute, wrote for RIA Novosti.
For the analyst, this is not merely a battle between Damascus-led forces and rebels, but rather a "standoff" between the Russian and US-led coalitions.