Moscow, Russian foreign ministry summoned on Tuesday the US embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes and submitted a protest note over the actions of American reporters who illegally entered the Kursk region. 'We lodged a protest to the US embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission over information about the participation of US private military companies alongside Kiev in its attack on the Kursk province which also show the US is a direct participant in the conflict with Kyiv,' the Ministry said in a statement. It added that US mercenaries who are operating under the wing of Ukrainian forces are a legitimate target for Russian strikes. Earlier, a photo appeared on Instagram documenting the participation of mercenaries from the American private military company 'Forward Observation Group' in the Kyiv forces' attack on the Russian border regions. Source: Syrian Arab News Agency