How is Russia financing its war in Syria?

We look at the economic incentives behind Russia's involvement in Syria and why Denmark changed its immigration laws.



Russia has added a volatile new dimension to Syria's four-year civil war after unleashing a wave of air strikes across the country.

Moscow has sent hundreds of troops, fighter jets, helicopter gunships, tanks, heavy artillery and other equipment, in response to a "request" by President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad's regime has been teetering on the brink after a string of heavy losses to rebels and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the arrival of Russian troops is an attempt to stem the tide.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has allocated $60bn from a secret fund to accelerate the military buildup despite the country's struggling economy.

Sanctions imposed by the West on Russia since March 2014 over its alleged support of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have cost the country some $40bn.