Russia's parliament on Friday ratified Moscow's deal with Syria on its "indefinite" deployment of forces to the country, in a move seen as firming up its long-term presence.
The vast majority of legislators voted to approve the agreement -- signed between Moscow and Damascus in August 2015 -- that allowed Russia to establish its Hmeimim airbase to launch operations in support of its ally Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin asked lawmakers in August to approve the deal -- that lasts for an "indefinite" period -- in a purely legal move that commentators think will pave the way for Moscow to make the base permanent.
Russia launched its surprise intervention in the five-year Syrian war in support of Damascus last September, shoring up Assad's flagging forces and allowing them to go on the offensive.
The ratification of the deal -- which has to be confirmed by Russia's senate -- comes as tensions with the West have spiked over its bombing of rebel-held east Aleppo.
Moscow is backing up a fierce onslaught by the Syrian regime on the ground against east Aleppo, sparking Western accusations of potential war crimes.
The latest assault -- which has seen Assad's troops make their first advances in the crucial city in years -- came after the collapse of a ceasefire hammered out by the US and Russia.
Moscow is currently believed to have some 4,000 personnel stationed at Hmeimim, deep in government-held territory, along with several dozen warplanes.
Russia has close ties with Damascus dating back to the Cold War and also has a naval facility in the country at Tartus.
