The Russian parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill Friday to make it easier for the government to deploy the military in foreign conflicts without a formal declaration of war. The vote in the third and final reading of the bill gained approval of 436 out of the 450 deputies, the State Duma, or parliament, disclosed on its website.
Up till now, the president was permitted to deploy the military outside of Russia only if the mission involved anti-terrorism efforts or to fulfil international obligations.