Russia says U.S. missile strike on Syria was a threat to its forces

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu delivers a speech during the annual Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) in Moscow, Russia, April 26, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu complained on Wednesday that a U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base earlier this month had posed a threat to Russian troops and was forcing Moscow to take extra measures to protect them.

Speaking at a security conference in Moscow, Shoigu restated Russia's view that the strike -- which Washington conducted in response to what it said was a deadly chemical weapons attack by Syrian government forces -- was "a crude violation of international law."