MOSCOW (AP) — Meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad this week, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said recent successes in battling the Islamic State group in Syria have allowed for a shift in focus to a political settlement for the war-torn country. But while Putin also said that his military campaign in Syria is wrapping up, he gave no indication that Russia would scale down its military presence in Syria — something Moscow is unlikely to do. Here are some key moments in Russia's military campaign in Syria: RAPID RESPONSE A series of defeats suffered by Assad's army in 2015 left his government teetering on the brink of collapse, prompting the Kremlin to intervene militarily to protect its long-time ally.