OREANDA-NEWS The Russian Defense Ministry denied  information about the participation of Russian special forces and ground forces in battles with pro-Turkish militants in Syria, "Interfax" reports about it.

“The information disseminated by the British Reuters news agency about alleged participation in the hostilities of the Russian" ground forces "and" special units "in the province of Idlib (Syria) is another fake. There were no Russian “ground forces” in Syria, ”the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It also says that only the observation posts of the Russian military police are located in the area in question.

Earlier, on June 18, Reuters, citing pro-Turkish militants, reported that Russian special forces and ground forces were participating in ground battles in Syria, helping government forces cope with armed rebels.

The civil war in Syria began in the spring of 2011. The main participants in the conflict are government forces acting on the side of the current President Bashar Assad, the so-called moderate opposition and Islamist groups. The opposition is supported by the United States and European countries, Russia helps the Assad government.