Russia has a precedent in bombing of Aleppo

The blueprint established in Chechnya is informing Vladimir Putin’s actions in Syria, writes John Lloyd, so don’t expect a letup in the onslaught any time soon

The destruction of Aleppo, especially the city’s eastern neighbourhoods that are tenuously held by anti-regime rebels, is largely pushed out of the nightly news by the fierce fighting around the US presidential race in the United States.

A few doughty reporters and photographers venture into Syria, but usually the cameras stay at a safe distance, so that much of what we see are the flashes and smoke from shells and bombs bursting in its cities.