Christian zeal my .... Russia is only in this for expansionism and to throw sand in the eyes of the US. Same for the Chinese.
And the kill count on McCain’s pet jihadis.
Don’t forget the kill count.
Whether the original and most important motive or not, Putin in this instance is doing MUCH more for the preservation of Christianity than almost any of the so-called “Western” nations, many of which have moved into a “post-Christianity” era. Just check the attendance and the support of ANY Christian church throughout Europe. If you claim a given church affiliation, the government authorities then assess you a given fee based on your annual income, sort of an additional income tax, and this is then turned over to the church to which you claim affiliation. A way to beat this tax, is to declare NO church membership anywhere. Apparently this system does not work with Muslims, because they do not even pay the tax.
There are reasons that there is an amendment to the US Constitution separating church and state, and right there, is a major one.
That aside, Putin is much more a defender of Christianity, than any of his counterparts in the so-called “Christian” Western democracies.
Ask the Christians in that region which they prefer: Russians bombing Obama’s favorite jihadis and hitting ISIS in the process, or ISIS having free reign to murder, tape and destroy?
I doubt the sincerity of the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin was very wise to get them on his “team”.