The head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, confirmed that Russian military bases in Syria continue to carry out their tasks despite the political changes in the country. According to him, the agreement concluded between Russia and Syria in 2017 provides for the deployment of Russian bases in Syria for a period of 49 years, and the new leadership is obliged to consider its terms.

"In 2017, we signed an agreement with Syria that our base would be in that country for 49 years. The new leadership that will be there is obliged to at least review these agreements. There is serious work to do here, and we must do it. This will be done by specialists from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. Only then can we talk about it. Therefore, it is premature to discuss the fate of our bases now, they are in place and continue to carry out tasks there," - said Kartapolov.

However, it remains unclear on what basis the new Syrian leadership, in which key positions are held by representatives of the HTS group (banned in Russia as a terrorist organization), will consider the existing agreements. This aspect raises questions, given the group's hostile attitude toward Russia.

Experts note that the political situation in Syria remains extremely unstable. The rise to power of forces that previously opposed the government of Bashar al-Assad and supported the armed resistance could affect the balance of power in the region. The preservation of Russian bases in such conditions would become a serious diplomatic challenge.