Takeover of Deir ez-Zor: US-allied Kurdish militias seized Syria's largest oil field, Al-Omar, located in Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq, from ISIS* and then expanded their control over the oil-rich region.
Hydrocarbon control: Instead of returning hydrocarbons to the Syrian people, the US began extracting and allegedly stealing the nation's energy resources.
PMC involvement? The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated in July 2019 that around 3,500 US private military contractors (PMCs) were participating in illegal oil production at the Al-Omar, Tanak, and Conoco fields in Deir ez-Zor province.
Illegal production: According to the MoD, illegal hydrocarbon production was also conducted in neighboring Al-Hasakah and Raqqa, held by US-backed Kurdish militias.
Criminal scheme: The MoD claimed, "A criminal scheme for cross-border deliveries of Syrian oil is in operation," with US PMCs operating under the cover of US-led coalition aviation.
Oil revenues: The MoD stated in October 2019 that oil revenues, amounting to $30 million a month, were funneled through brokerage companies to the accounts of PMCs and US special services.
Earlier, in July 2019, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of hypocrisy, stating that despite declaring a pull-out from Syria, Washington was quietly substituting its troops with private military contractors on the ground.
Blackwater involvement? In May 2019, the Tehran Times reported that US PMC Blackwater and other Western security firms were operating in Iraq and sought to move to Syria. Blackwater had been expelled from Iraq over the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
Erik Prince's proposal: In January 2019, Blackwater founder Erik Prince suggested on Fox News that military contractors could replace US troops in Syria. He argued that the US should not abandon its allies despite having no long-term strategic obligation to stay in Syria.
Trump's statement: In November 2019, then-President Donald Trump stated during a White House press conference, "We're keeping the [Syrian] oil. We have the oil. The oil is secure."
Policy support: In August 2020, anonymous US officials told Foreign Policy that developing and keeping Syria's oil fields were helping the State and Defense departments justify a continued US military presence in the region.
*banned in Russia as a terrorist organization