This post is so old now (2014), but I just saw this news on Twitter from The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex):

BREAKING: Russian parliamentarian says Syria has expressed willingness to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states

It seems so odd that Syria would be expressing an opinion to the world on Donetsk and Luhansk . . . except for its relationship with Russia. A lot has happened since 2014, but Russian concerns over Ukraine’s West-leaning orientation and associated potential threat of NATO membership are clearly still an issue, as is the key military significance of Crimea. Not to mention, apparently, the Syria connection. So I thought I’d repost my old 2014 analysis here tonight, for what it’s worth. (Take a look at all the countries that have joined NATO since the end of the Soviet Union. Like all of the former Eastern European Soviet bloc countries! No wonder Russia is worried about Ukraine going the same route.)