Vladimir Putin just confirmed what many suspected -- that Russian airstrikes in Syria are meant to bolster President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
But exactly how they're doing that remains a point of contention: Are Russians really focused on pummeling ISIS, or are they targeting Syrian rebels demanding an end to the Assad dynasty?
"Our task is to stabilize the legitimate government and to create conditions for a political compromise ... by military means, of course," Putin told the state-run Russia 24 TV.
"The units of international terrorists and their ilk have no desire to negotiate with the Syrian government, who is almost sieged in its own capital."
Russia has said it's coordinating with the Syrian regime to target ISIS and other terrorists. Al-Assad has used the term "terrorists" to describe Syrians who seek his ouster.