Moscow says US military presence in Syria "illegal"

"We would like to remind: US military presence in Syria is illegal in the first place. So the US does not have any right to criticize legitimate actions of the Russian Armed Forces which operate in Syria on the invitation of the Syrian Government," it wrote on its Twitter account, TASS reported.

The tweet followed Tuesday’s report by Sean O’Donnell, acting inspector general, Department of Defense, where he claimed that Russia was violating the de-conflictation processes in northeastern Syria.

"While Russian forces largely adhered to the de-conflictation processes, violations increased slightly compared to the previous quarter," it said.

According to the US side, violations include adding an extra vehicle to the pre-arranged patrols and failing to provide proper notification about the movement of military transport and fighter jets from Russia to Syria. "These violations did not pose a threat to Coalition forces," the document said.

Russia is helping Syria’s legitimate government eliminate terrorists and is encouraging the Syrian sides to establish a political dialogue.

Unlike Russia, the United States is present in Syria with no invitation from that country’s government.