Litvinenko murder: It may sound brutal but the UK government has moved on

Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European reform, argues: "Putin is trying to trying to clear the middle ground. The aim is clear everyone off the battle field, save Daesh [another term for Isis] and Assad, and he can then say, 'Assad may be up to his neck in blood but he is not going to come after you in your cities.'"

Bond adds: "Putin is trying to show the west he may not be able to solve the Syria crisis, but he can still make it worse for the west." Recent UNHCR refugee flows show that since the Russians began their bombing campaign, the numbers moving from the targeted areas are rising sharply.

Bond argues "the collateral damage to Europe of the migration crisis may not have been part of Russia's original intentions but it is certainly quite welcome". At the same time, Putin is making it harder for the coalition to launch independent operations by introducing a lot more anti-aircraft systems in Syria.