MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, has ratified a Russian-Syrian agreement on the indefinite deployment of Russia’s air task force in Syria.
The document was signed on August 26, 2015 in Damascus and was submitted by the Russian president almost a year after - on August 9, 2016 - to the State Duma for consideration.
The agreement stipulates that the Russian aviation group is deployed in Syria at the request of the Syrian side at Hmeimim aerodrome in the province of Latakia free of charge.
The Russian air group will be employed based on its commander’s decision in accordance with the plans agreed on with the Syrian authorities. The structure of the group is determined by Moscow. "Armaments, ammunition, equipment and materials necessary for the fulfillment of appropriate tasks by the Russian air group, for ensuring security and vital functions of its personnel, are delivered to Syria without any charges or tariffs. Russian air group personnel freely cross the border, and are not subject to any checks by Syrian border control or customs authorities," as follows from the explanatory note.