By Stephen D. Bryen
Why is Putin pulling out of Syria? Is it because Russia is out of money and the Syrian operation is hurting? Or is something else going on?
There is no doubt Russia's economy is suffering. Even without sanctions, Russia would have a hard time because of crashing oil prices. Gas and oil exports account for a whopping 68% of Russia's export earnings that also support its currency, banking and ability to finance government, social and military operations.
But the fact of the matter is that the Syrian operation is not as costly as it might seem at first glance.
The equipment, munitions, and salaries of Russian personnel were paid for before the Russian Air Force was dispatched to Syria. While it will cost money to replace equipment and renew stocks of weapons, all in all, the impact on Russia's current budget is minimal. One reason for this is that Russia has not been continually engaged in military operations, so it has a reasonable stockpile of munitions, decent equipment, and ancillary supplies including fuel.
Compare that to the United States; We have been fighting wars continuously since 1990 -the time of the First Gulf War. It needed special appropriations (called Supplementals) to finance more than a quarter of a century war-related operations....
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