The Russians must be bitter watching the americans/french screw them hard in Ukraine. In Syria Russians and Americans were pretty much working together carving out their spheres of influence at the expense of everyone else in the region and from the region. The Russians did great business with the French in Libya where both sides were allied together to support warlord Haftar in hopes they could pillage all the resources. But Russians are having to come to terms with the fact that both of them are screwing them hard over Ukraine. They are creating a situation for the Russians where to get out of their desperate position in Ukraine they need to create pressure against these nations in other theatres. But i honestly think Ukraine was a fatal mistake for Russia, its had big costs and its costs will be felt many decades to come for Russia.
For all of Erdogan's geopolitical failures which there are many, his180's, or his countless "i was deceived moments", none of it compares to the critical disaster Russia made in thinking they were going to have a 3 day war with Ukraine.
Sooner or later the Russians were going to invade Ukraine.
Manifest destiny they still believe from Warsaw to Alaska.