The portion of Aleppo, Syria, held by rebels is now on the verge of collapse after regime forces captured most rebel positions with a blistering Russian- and Iran-backed offensive. Over 30,000 civilians have fled, and pro-regime militias are detaining young men at random. Many civil activists have gone silent since pro-regime forces seized physical control of the Internet servers. The regime has dropped leaflets warning civilians “you will be annihilated … you know everyone has abandoned you,” and it has made good on that promise by massacring some 40 civilians seeking to flee.

Aleppo didn’t look this way when I visited it.