Moscow

For most Russians, there's little not to like about their country's military operation in Syria.

The airstrikes have demonstrated Russia's might, turned the course of the war and made sure that Russia is once again treated as a world power. And all at little cost.

When Russia began its air campaign on Sept. 30, there were fears that it would turn into a repeat of the disastrous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, which ended nine years later with thousands dead and a humiliating withdrawal.

Those fears have been dispelled as President Vladimir Putin has kept his word that there will be no ground action.

Denis Kuzichov, a 36-year-old artist in Moscow, said he supports Russia's involvement in Syria as long as it is limited to airstrikes.

"If we're talking about bombing terrorists and the fight against incorrect forms of Islam, then yeah," Kuzichov said. "If our ground troops move in, and by that I mean if they start giving weapons to people on the ground — tanks, heavy guns — then of course it's bad."

Most Russians judge the situation in Syria based on what they see on state television, said Nataliya Zorkaya, who heads the social and political survey department at the Levada Center, an independent polling agency.

The news programs on Kremlin-controlled television have shown Russia's strategic bombers and new long-range cruise missiles making direct hits on targets described as assets of the Islamic State group. The reports have noted the terrorist threat posed to Russia by the Islamic State, which has won the allegiance of Islamic militants operating in Russia and recruited thousands of Russian citizens to join the battle in Syria.