"But, it wasn't until 2015 when it moved major forces into Syria to help President Assad fight off the various western-backed terrorist factions that were trying to force him out."
I know were you came with that, I know the exact person who started that...its a lie. The Arab Spring was a social media induced rising of peoples -- its been described as a phenomenon of consciousness, a culmination, as the global interactions gained a momentum of its own over the Internet and world wide web..
The ongoing outing of the West's past by a very active reality manufacturing machine in the Kremlin. And a fifth column entrenched in social media has aided that progression. By socialist induced liberalism that keeps wandering further and further to the left. It is a millennial phenomena. The US had nothing to do with it. The US response has always been for human rights, for people and democracy the right to votes, the right to live freely. We don't live the constitution and the bill of rights -- we are it.
The US, represented by Eleanor Roosevelt was among nine other drafters of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". Incidently there was a Russian drafter in there, It was Alexander Bugomolov -- the declaration was voted into law on Dec 10th 1948.
58 member countries voted on it and the resolution was passed by a vote of 48 in favor, and non against. Eight countries abstained and two did not vote.
The eight abstentions represented the countries of "Union of Soviet Social Republics". Why? Because Soviet Union under Joe Stalin and the Chekists were the worst human rights violators on the planet. Strangely Venezuela, Syria, Iran, and Iraq as well as Afghanistan signed that declaration document of human rights.
The Arab Spring you might say was the fruit of that declaration of human rights and freedom. The seeds had been planted long ago. It was only a matter of time, before people rose up. Strange how the Internet was the right condition for people to talk globally, and it struck that match that started a fire that raged through how many countries, but as usual the propaganda by the those opposed to those losses blamed America. And who loss but Russia, the collapse of the Soviet Union power structure was more to blame than anything. But it raged across the World Wide Web. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya under Gaddafi, Yemen under Ali Abdullah Saleh; Syria under Assad, Bahrain.. despots and cruel dictator fell. Now you blame America, but the truth is still the truth.
The Soviet Union collapsed and the KGB took over and created a kleptocracy that aims to become great again. They are still a human rights abusers as before, with free of speech loss in Russia, with an independent media gone; torture and killings and political assassination of opposition leaders, and they are constantly being charged with violation through the UN.
" [...]Syrian infrastructure such as electric power plants, water reservoirs, bridges, and Syrian military installations, killing many civilians, Syrian military personnel, and even some Russian personnel."
Assad drove his people out...
The US under USAid has spent close to a $billion dollars in an Aid package that has rebuilt schools and put children back in those classroom seats; the US, it has rebuilt water systems and wells and sewer systems; it has rebuilt and refurbished hospitals and clinics, and small businesses; it has got power flowing to needed businesses and school and hospitals, to get Syria back to life.
What has the Russian done, but armed Assad, broken sanctions that outlawed the arming and fueling of his war machine, and put S-400's in Syria. Violating the INF treaty in doing so.
But you can believe what ever you want, we are free here...
Just FYI, the Arab Spring, which led to the unrest in Syria, was also orchestrated by good ole Uncle Sam. https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-engineered-arab-spring-the-ngo-raids-in-egypt/28433
It's a well-worn tactic: When you have no argument, attack the source.