How a 4-Hour Battle Between Russian Mercenaries and U.S. Commandos Unfolded in Syria
The mercenaries loosely coordinate with the Russian military in Syria, although Wagner’s leaders have reportedly received awards in the Kremlin, and its mercenaries are trained at the Russian Defense Ministry’s bases.
Russian government forces in Syria maintain they were not involved in the battle. But in recent weeks, according to United States military officials, they have jammed the communications of smaller American drones and gunships such as the type used in the attack.
“Right now in Syria, we’re in the most aggressive E.W. environment on the planet from our adversaries,” Gen. Tony Thomas, the head of United States Special Operations Command, said recently, referring to electronic warfare. “They’re testing us every day.”
Some of the comments are worth reading such as this one from a Russian(?):
What I’ve read from independent Russian sources, the mercenaries from the groups allegedly affiliated with “Putin’s chef”, Evgeny Prigozhin, grossly miscalculated American tactics.
Russian army command structure is highly centralized, whilst American troops put most decision making to the commander in the field and grant authority over artillery, air force him/her, and this commander might be of the considerably low rank.
Mercenaries may have believed that for whatever “geopolitical reasons” small group of U.S. troops would avoid the armed confrontation and would be recalled, and would leave the lucrative oil field and plant. But instead this field commander exercised its authority and struck back, leaving hundreds dead.
It is against the Russian military’s shared belief and logic that the mere field commander can call a massive air strike without calling a bunch of four-star generals for approval.
P.S. There is a grim version of events circulating in the social networks that allegedly the mercenary company practices “disposing of” the fighters in such a manner to avoid bringing them home and paying the salaries. In that case the fact that few hundred fighters were supported by just a handful of vehicles and zero anti-aircraft missiles supports this rumor.
More about Wagner and their likely involvement in the killing of 2 reporters.
https://theins.ru/politika/112326