For me Russian\Assad's goal in Allepo is very simple and obvious. Destroy the city and kill as many of its inhabitants as possible. It is a plain genocide, not a war. They have zero interest in capturing the city because it will never be loyal to Assad and will stay a huge problem nearly forever.
Unlikely, Aleppo is the largest city in Syria, was Syria's economic capital and is key to any recovery post-war. During the first stages of the war the government regrouped most of its forces at Damascus, Aleppo being one notable exception - the Syrian regime considered the possibility of withdrawing from Aleppo
but support was overwhelmingly with them against Al Qaeda and ISISMore than a month into the battle for Aleppo, the rebels who seized control of much of the city sense that its residents do not yet fully support them. Opposition fighters – around 3,000 of them – are almost the only people moving around the eastern half that the Free Syrian Army now controls. The small numbers of non-fighters who remain seem to pay them little heed. Few seem openly welcoming.
"Yes it's true," said Sheikh Tawfik Abu Sleiman, a rebel commander sitting on the ground floor of his fourth new headquarters – the other three were bombed. "Around 70% of Aleppo city is with the regime. It has always been that way. The countryside is with us and the city is with them. We are saying that we will only be here as long as it takes to get the job done, to get rid of the Assads. After that, we will leave and they can build the city that they want."
It is quite the contrary, far be it from wanting to destroy an unruly Aleppo:
The government has expended many of its soldiers in order to hold onto one of its largest support bases. Aleppo is probably also the reason why Assad believes the West has been arming Al Qaeda and ISIS in his country,
because the rebels in Aleppo were dominated by foreign fighters, foreign fighters looking to wage jihad to set up a new caliphate
For the ethnic and religious minorities living in Syria's big cities, they don't really have a choice except to lend
the government their support, or else face cleansing from the jihadis