MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Provocative fake news on coronavirus spread in Russia mostly comes from abroad, while in reality nothing critical is happening, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his meeting with the government Wednesday.

"In regard to this disturbing fake news, the Federal Security Service reports that it is mostly being organized from abroad, but this, sadly, is a constant issue," Putin said, commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova’s report, which mentioned "fake news" on coronavirus spread.

According to Putin, this fake news aims to "sow panic among the population," and it can only be countered with timely and reliable informing of people on the situation.

"Thankfully, nothing critical happens [in Russia], but people must know about the real situation. I ask you to set up this information work," the president said.

During the meeting, Golikova reported fake news coming primarily from the social media that tell about allegedly large number of people infected by the coronavirus and claim that the government seeks to hide this data. The Deputy Prime Minister underscored that this information is fake.

According to Golikova, only three coronavirus cases were registered in Russia since prevention measures have been deployed. Besides, three infected Russians have been evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. More than 70 countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

In China, which accounts for the majority of the novel coronavirus cases, the death toll is nearing 3,000, while almost 80,000 people have been infected and another 50,000 have recovered. According to the WHO, the number of coronavirus sufferers outside China has exceeded 10,500 and more than 160 have died.