BS. The Russians knew exactly what was going on. Everyone’s playing the proxy game. Puppet warfare.
They warned them that airstrikes were pending and inbound and the Russians did not notify their “mercenary forces” or their allies?
Good luck with that. The miscommunication was among the Russians. Mattis clearly stated that we warned them multiple times that they were about to get lit up.
That was about as one sided as it gets. 200-400 enemy casualties (depending on who you believe) and one casualty among our forces. Not exactly a point of pride on the Russian side - all downside (very embarrassing loss) and no upside. Someone on “their side” failed to communicate to higher HQ what they were doing.