Twelve days ago, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied rebel factions launched a major offensive in north-western Syria. On Sunday, Russia announced that President Bashar al-Assad had stepped down and left Syria. His family ruled the country for over 50 years. 

The future of Syria remains unclear due to the multitude of groups in the country. Currently, the most influential Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, previously had close ties with ISIS.

Associate Professor Vladimir Sazonov of the University of Tartu's Center for Oriental Studies cautioned against naively expecting democracy or democratic elections to emerge in Syria.

"Certainly not. Syria will remain authoritarian. It might even fragment into several parts. In essence, it's already divided in that sense," he told Sunday's "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Raudsik does not foresee groups backing ISIS or al-Qaeda ideology taking power in Syria.

"Let's draw a parallel with Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained power, and very quickly freedoms were severely curtailed, and there was a total rollback on women's rights. In Syria, at least in the immediate term, we are unlikely to see similar developments because the Islamist opposition leading this offensive today is significantly more moderate," he told the show.

Raudsik added that the Assad regime and Russia may still stage their final resistance. But, so far, there has not even been time for a serious response.

However, the situation reflects the declining influence of Russia and Iran in the region, as both are deeply preoccupied with domestic issues and other conflicts, he added.

Turkey seized the opportunity to advance its own interests, the expert said.

"Turkey has shown strategic patience in supporting the opposition, keeping them alive there, and now we see how this actually serves their interests. I think we will only later begin to see and hear how significant Turkey's role has been in this entire operation," Raudsik said.

He explained that Turkey aims to create a buffer zone along its border to prevent the establishment of any Kurdish statelet. But at the same time, Turkey is expanding its influence in the region by enabling Syrian rebels to gain power.

Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said Russia's failure in Syria signals its global weakness.

"They are certainly paying a lot of attention to achieving success in Ukraine compared to other regions, and they are definitely not holding back there. Ultimately, it must be said that Russians will not portray their collapse in Syria as a defeat but rather as a so-called calculated decision," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Pevkur stressed the events in the Middle East show the number of war zones and crises around the world is not diminishing.

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