Experts are saying that Russia's military is more advanced than everyone thought, and that Syria has allowed it to showcase its progress to the world.
Russia has used a new aircraft that has never before appeared in war, and is launching new cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea that can travel more than 900 miles further than their American equivalent.
"This is an amazingly capable new weapon," Michael Kofman, a fellow at the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC, told The New York Times.
Russian battle tactics and strategy have advanced, too.
"What continues to impress me is their ability to move a lot of stuff real far, real fast," Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of the US Army forces in Europe, said, per The Times.
This shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin has successfully modernized a military many thought was behind its Western counterparts.
Story by Allan Smith and editing by Chelsea Pineda.
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