Every war is in part an act of staging. In any military campaign there is always a strong symbolic component. A theatricality sometimes somewhat forced that aims to convey a message that is not always directly related to military action itself. In the case of the Russian intervention in Syria, several details regarding the "wrapping" that has accompanied the military campaign provide us with clues about the message that Moscow intends to convey to the West and the world.

It is clear that Putin has taken great care in the way he has presented the bombings in Syria. For starters, and for the first time, Moscow has made use of a television channel with global reach to cover the campaign. Copying CNN's model , Russia Today has become a 24-hour news channel in English with a visual and journalistic style very similar to what we were used to from the BBC or Fox News.

However, Russia Today, despite the technological paraphernalia and the British-accented presenters in suits, is neither a private nor a free channel, but a state-owned media under the control of Putin's government. Its news and reports are merely a mouthpiece of Moscow. The novelty is that the most modern and attractive audiovisual techniques have been put at the service of the usual propaganda. In this sense, Russia Today is trying to be what CNN was for the first Gulf War: the reference letter media on the military campaign with exclusive interviews, reporters on the ground, shocking images, 3D maps, a barrage of data on the campaign and intense debates. For the first time, Western media no longer have a monopoly on the coverage of a foreign armed conflict.

In close partnership with Russia Today (and once again following the American model ), the Russian army has carried out a completely unusual "transparency" exercise in its history. As if it were the Pentagon, a female Russian military officer (yet another sign of the "progress" of the country's armed forces), briefs reporters daily on the bombings and answers their questions. Behind her, impressive TV screens with all sorts of data and videos showing the effectiveness of Russian laser-guided bombs.

The message here is clear: in Putin's new Russia, the army is a modern and efficient institution that has nothing to envy to the United States or the United Kingdom. The Russian army is no longer the one that fought chaotically in Chechnya in the 1990s, where soldiers were poorly armed and where chaos seemed to reign in military operations. Nor is it the Russian army that invaded Georgia in 2008, where there were serious cases of lack of coordination and Russian planes mercilessly bombed civilian centers. In this case the impression being conveyed is that it is a professional army with the most modern means at its disposal and effective leadership. Laser-guided bombs instead of massacres. Press conferences with videos instead of accusations to journalists. Educated military men interacting with journalists in impressive facilities instead of ragged, exhausted soldiers in the field.

Finally, it should be noted the variety of instruments Putin has decided to use against the rebels. Apart from the use of fighters and bombers, Russia chose to attack in Syria with missiles from Wayside Cross launched from warships located in the Caspian Sea, 1500 km away. The use of these missiles was totally unnecessary and did not respond to any military necessity in dealing with the Syrian rebels. It was, however, a neat performance in which Putin intended to demonstrate Russia's technological and military might. What other countries in the world can attack from so far away and with such precision? Here the message is clear: this subject of complex actions are no longer the monopoly of the United States.

It should not be forgotten that Syria is being used by Russia as a testing ground for its new weaponry. In this case, the Syrian drama would be closely related to the Spanish Civil War, where certain powers, especially Nazi Germany, used the conflict as a testing ground for renewed weaponry and new military techniques, laboratory . A missile or an aircraft (such as the Sukhoi Su-34, which has seen its baptism of fire in Syria), however technologically advanced they may be, are not entirely reliable until they have been used repeatedly in a real conflict scenario. Only in a war environment can the true potential of the new weaponry, its failures and successes, be discovered.

Also, once it has proven its worth and effectiveness in a conflict, such weaponry and military equipment acquires a new status in the eyes of the international community, making it more attractive to future buyers on the international market. (It would not be surprising that after the good performance of the new Russian military instruments in Syria, exports of such materials to third countries such as India, Egypt or Brazil would increase). Putin in this case is not only showing muscle, but is using Syria as a showcase for the renewed military offer Russia is making on the international arms market.

But if the explosive charges of the Russian missiles are aimed at the Syrian rebels, the symbolic charges of the Russian missiles are clearly aimed at the West. By launching precision-guided Kalibr missiles (capable of being armed with nuclear bombs, as the Russian Defense Ministry made clear) from warships and submarines located 1,000 to 1,500 km away from goal, Putin is making it clear that Russia can strike wherever and whenever and that no country is far enough away from the reach of Russia's new military might. If Syria can be bombed from the Caspian Sea, any European country could be bombed from the Black Sea or the Baltic Sea if necessary. Take grade, European Union, is Putin's message.

In the end, for Putin, the war in Syria may be the least of his concerns. Among his priority objectives is to carry out a show of force and intentions: Russia is no longer that embarrassing country of the 1990s. Its military might and technological sophistication are on a par with those of the West. More importantly, the West's unilateral interventions in the Middle East - in which Russia was relegated to the role of a passive bystander - are a thing of the past. There is a new superpower in the world and Russia's spectacular and carefully staged intervention in Syria wants to make that clear. And if you don't believe it, watch Russia Today.