Russia caught the world’s attention this week when it deployed high-tech long-range cruise missiles to support its offensive against Syrian rebel groups. The missiles, fired from ships in the Caspian Sea on Wednesday, marked a ramping up of Moscow’s operation in Syria but the show of aerial strength may not be enough to secure a victory, say Russian analysts and military experts. They warn that only a ground offensive will give Russia and its Syrian client, President Bashar al-Assad, a decisive win. “You can’t escape the basic laws of war: victory can be guaranteed only on the ground,” said Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis in Moscow.