Two Russian ships heading for a naval exercise off Syria are picking up munitions on their way to the Syrian port of Tartus, a Russian news agency reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the landing ship Kaliningrad had docked at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk to pick up munitions and another landing ship, the Alexander Shabalin, was due there for the same purpose. It was not clear who the munitions were for.