Interesting great game in syria.
Putin switched sides from kurds to erdogan and made a deal.Russia allows use of syrian airspace over afrin,and turkey tacitly supports/ignores assad offensive in idlib and ghouta.Kurds used as sacrificial pawn.Assad and putin offered kurds in afrin protection from turkey in exchange for overall central control from damascus,kurds refused.So putin makes a deal with erdogan.His calculation is once kurds see that can't stop turkish airforce and army by themselves,and usa alliance won't help them much they will be forced to seek protection from assad and putin,then damascus will regain control over kurdish held north without firing a single bullet usinh the turkish boogeyman to make the kurds submit. and break away from us alliance.USA wants to stop them from joining assad/putin,but also doesn't want to become enemy of turkey and is stuck between rock and hard place.
Important factor is USA posture.Afrin was isolated enclave with no US presence,but erdogan is declaring he will march on manbij which has a us base with special forces and erdogan wants them gone but usa refuses to listen.To attack manbij he will have to attack us troops potentially.Manbij is also connected to main kurdish land corrdior and close to kobane.Russian mercenaries already tried a probing attack on us base and 200 odd got wiped out by USAF airstrikes and artillery.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/why-did-russia-abandon-afrin-1509120871
Interesting times,lets see what happens.