Russian expansion in Syria is taking place quickly.
Satellite images taken by Stratfor and published by Reuters show a build up of tanks, helicopters and other heavy weapons. It is estimated now that there is already 500 troops on the revamped air base.
Sources including Debkafile show that Russian troops are also actively fighting in Syria.
Turkey is becoming a logistical pain for Putin:
The increasing Russian military presence in Syria is not considered to be an invasion but once Russian casualties begin to mount its hard not to imagine Putin getting sucked into the vortex of the Middle East.
What is particularly obvious is that Russia is setting up infrastructure for quick access into the middle east through the development of a Syrian airbase.
However while the airbase is expanding its troop numbers via cargo flights, Russia is not allowed to fly through Turkey or Greece and therefore must take a very uneconomical route through Iran & Iraq.

Furthermore all Russian naval cargo is coming through the Bosphorus which is a channel controlled by Turkey. It was recently reported that Turkey threatened to blockade the Bosporus to Russian ships. Imagine if they tried to do that anytime soon!
New Satellite Images of Russias Forward Air Base in Syria


