Russia's coverage of Syria brings back painful memories

Vladimir Putin is proving the master of surprise in the Syrian conflict - whether it's firing cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea, or hosting President Assad in Moscow.

Moscow's military intervention in Syria reflects a resurgent Russia, a country that's clearly determined to stand up to America.

But the Russian air strikes have revived painful memories for the soldiers the USSR sent into Afghanistan in the 1980s - the last time Moscow went to war outside the former Soviet Union.

Our Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg has been talking about the past - and the present - with some of the veterans of the Afghan war.