Is Baghdadi really dead as claimed by Russian army?

Ask the Russians; none of us have any knowledge.

I’m not sure it matters. ISIS has a reputation as a highly decentralized group, not needing the micro-leadership of a single person. They built ISIS that way.

That’s the opposite of Bin Laden, who by all reports was a micro-manager.

We should know shortly

The Russians reported that they “may” have got him, so they aren’t sure yet themselves.
If they did, ISIS won’t collapse from just that.
Hoping any one government will defeat ISIS is just being naive.
Like any global ill, it needs to be addressed on every level.
Schools, neighbors, friends, police, military, governments, we all need to be involved.
ISIS is like a vine. It will grow in any direction it can get a hold.
We have to quit being a trellis hoping someone with shears will come by and trim it back.

If it turns out to be true, it will be a huge feather in Putin’s cap. I wonder if he’ll collect the bounty on Baghdadi’s head. It’s a sad but rather undeniable truth that Putin allied with Iran is going to successfully prop up Assad. And it’s the smart course. Brutal stability trumps the fairy tale of democracy.

I’m skeptical. I can’t believe Al-Baghdadi would be careless enough to hang around Raqqa when the current assault on Raqqa was announced in advance in all the papers. It is more likely he is in Mayadeen with the rest of the ISIS commanders. They move around a lot.