A report in the American Wall Street Journal indicated that Russia finds that maintaining peace in Syria is more difficult than fighting its civil war, as a fierce attack by Syrian regime forces on a rebel-held town is eroding Moscow's goal to establish itself as a party principal in the Middle East.
The American newspaper report stated that Russia has established itself in Syria in recent years.
Sensing an opportunity to expand its influence in the region, Moscow provided military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he used brute force to regain the lands he lost after the start of the 2011 revolution.
The report added that in 2018, Russia then helped negotiate a ceasefire agreement between the regime and the rebels in Daraa, the cradle of the Syrian revolution and one of the remaining opposition strongholds in the country.
But the renewed fighting in the region and the high death toll now threaten to break the Russian-backed truce, which was supposed to provide an end to the revolution in Daraa and provide a model for ending conflicts in other rebel-held parts of Syria.
The newspaper suggested that the Russian initiative, first to support the government of Bashar al-Assad and secondly to recast itself as a peacemaker, was the cornerstone of a broader effort to gain more influence across the Middle East.
Renewed fighting in Deraa raises doubts about Moscow's ability to effectively mediate as the Assad regime attempts to bring all of southern Syria under its control, with partial support from Iran and its proxy forces.
The Wall Street Journal report quotes analysts as saying that Russia has also sent fighters and paramilitary forces to intervene in the civil war in Libya, and has courted American allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to drive the United States out of the region.
But the renewed fighting in Daraa - the American newspaper adds - raises doubts about Moscow's ability to play the role of mediator effectively, as the Assad regime is trying to bring all of southern Syria under its control, with partial support from Iran and its proxy forces.
And there could be repercussions elsewhere in the war-torn country.
This is what Jumana Kadour, a fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington and a member of the UN-brokered Syrian Constitutional Committee, noted, "I don't think we've seen the end of the Syrian story, I don't think we should feel that confident."
On the situation in the besieged area of Daraa, some say that food and clean water are now scarce.
Relief organizations confirmed that the only designated clinic in the area closed due to the regime's bombing.
The newspaper concluded its report with what Tim Al-Ahmad, a media activist who lives in the besieged area, said, "I think there is a high possibility of a sectarian massacre if this situation is not resolved."