Syria: Russia launched air attacks on north west Syria for the first time since Moscow and Ankara agreed to the March ceasefire

Syria: Russia launched air attacks on north west Syria for the first time since Moscow and Ankara agreed to the March ceasefire, which halted a bloody Russian-backed government offensive to retake the region. Crisis Group expert Dareen Khalifa says despite numerous Turkish-Russian patrols in May to uphold the deal (see the latest edition of CrisisWatch), Russia’s strikes reveal the fragility of the March ceasefire. Moscow and Ankara continue to have divergent interpretations of their commitments and opposing positions on Idlib’s future as well as how to deal with armed groups operating there.