Live from Syria

Everyday, as soon as I turn on the news, it seems as if things are just getting worse and worse all across the Middle East. Nowhere more so than Syria, where all red lines seemingly have been crossed a long time ago. In spite of all the grim headlines, it often spurs me to delve deeper and seek out the reality of what's really going on just so close to our northern border.

It's no secret that Russia is one of the key power players propping up the Assad regime in Syria. Up until recently, the city of Tartus on the Syrian coastline was home to the only overseas contingent of Russian troops outside of Russia. It is still manned by Russian civilian contractors and exists as an additional installation of the Russian Navy. More significantly, it's been the first stop of weapons shipments from Russia to Syria, enabling President Bashar al-Assad to continue his assault in order to reclaim Syria from the rebel opposition.

Not surprisingly, with the direct political and military support led by President Putin, the Russian presence in Syria is well felt, and overt ties between the two respective governments as strong as ever. I discovered just recently some interesting videos on YouTube of a young Russian journalist who has been making a name for herself by reporting from the absolute front lines of the Syrian civil war while being embedded with Syrian government forces. Her name is Anastasia Popova,  and for better or worse, you won't find anyone else as close to the heart of the conflict than her. Judging by her apparent lack of armor while in the midst of intense firefights, it's clear this isn't the same Western style of on the ground reporting we're used to.