Russia calls reports of Syrians fleeing Idlib en masse for Turkey false

MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry on Friday said reports that hundreds of thousands of Syrians were fleeing Idlib in the direction of Turkey were false and urged Ankara to allow Idlib residents to enter other parts of Syria.

The ministry issued its comments in a statement, saying it had been using drones and other resources to monitor the situation in Idlib.

It also said that Turkey had brought large amounts of military hardware and ammunition into Idlib in recent weeks. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova/Andrew Osborn; Editing by Alison Williams)