Russian President Vladimir Putin has been making headlines this past week with the bombings in Syria. Astounding footage was caught of Russian missiles being launched from the Caspian Sea, soaring through the skies of the night, and exploding on target in Syria this past week. The aggressive attacks on Syria have come as a surprise for the United States.

President Putin has made his intentions very clear: He wants to keep the Syrian President in office for as long possible. Not only does Putin want to be noticed as a serious player in the Middle East, but he also wants to be seen as a major player in the world, although some would argue that he could be doing this to divert attention away from his stumbling economy.

This is Russia’s largest military operation since the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. NATO has grown increasingly troubled with the rapidity of Russia’s deployment within Syria. At the United Nations, Putin put blame on the West for helping manifest the terrorist organization ISIL, or better known as ISIS, by asking in his speech “Do you realize what you have done?”