Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered an air offensive in Aleppo in northern Syria, which is considered a stronghold of rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
For a foreign policy expert, Putin's "well-calculated move" is an attempt to further his goals in the war-torn nation, and to ultimately test the European Union (EU)'s capacity to accept Syrian refugees.
Judy Dempsey, a non-resident senior associate at Carnegie Europe and editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog, believes the Russian leader is deliberately causing a flood of Syrian migrants to Europe through the attacks in Aleppo. This scenario is seen to weaken German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who advocates acceptance of these refugees, in Germany and the entire EU.
"Merkel's latest plan is for Turkey to stop the flow of refugees to Greece, which can no longer cope under the immense strain," Dempsey said in an article on WND.
"But outsourcing the refugee problem to either Greece or Turkey is not a sustainable option. In return for Turkey's assistance, Merkel said EU countries, many of which have already refused to take in refugees or are closing their borders, would have to be willing to accept quotas of migrants," she added.
Dempsey further said that by attacking Syrian rebels in Aleppo—considered to be the most important city outside Damascus—Putin is essentially strengthening Assad's hold as Syria's leader.
Hermann Binkert, director of the German pollster Insa-Consulere, agreed that Putin's move can ultimately have a negative effect on Merkel's popularity.
"A year ago nobody would have dared asked questions like we did, But in the meantime, her approval ratings have dropped, mostly because of her position on refugees ... Right now, there's no discussion of an early election in Germany. But we can't say how the situation will develop," Binkert told The EU Observer.
Russia has, however, denied any wrongdoings both in Syria and in Europe.
