As far as I can tell the Russians were not regular Russian troops (Putin troops, so to speak), but contract soldiers, aka mercenaries. Some of these soldiers had been in the Ukraine before their commercial contract military company which hey were employed by accepted a Syrian contract. Russia is just beginning to regulate these companies.
I do NOT want to engage Russia over some terrain in Syria.
Period.
No way Russian companies were recruiting and training a “private” army in Russia without Putin’s approval.
No way they would attack American allies (and some American Military personnel) in a battalion-sized combined arms assault with tanks, artillery and Engineer bridging operations, without Putin giving the go ahead. They crossed the deconfliction line established between the Russian and American militaries to conduct that attack.
Wagner Group could not exist inside the Syrian Theater of Operations without Russian Military authorization.
Russian jets, under the cover of the Russian flag, were supporting this offensive, until driven off by US jets with warning, close fly bys and flare/chaff discharges.