20 June 2012 - MOSCOW, (SANA)- The Russian Defense Ministry denied news on preparations to conduct large-scale military exercises on the Syrian territories with Russia's participation, a statement by the Ministry said on Tuesday.

It added that the recurrence of such media misinformation recently by influential media based on various intelligence and satellite data aims at further intensifying the situation in Syria and do not reflect the reality on the ground.

The Russian Defense Ministry also dismissed news that the Russian Baltic Fleet large landing ship, Kaliningrad, is soon to set sail to the Mediterranean and enter Tartous Port in Syria.

The Ministry's statement said that the only correct piece in this news is that Kaliningrad ship is indeed part of the Russia Baltic Fleet.