KIEV, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Defense Ministry denied reports Monday that a U.S. ship had delivered containers with toxic substances to a port in the Crimea.

The U.S. Advantage cargo ship's call to the port of Feodosia in preparation for the U.S.-led Sea-Breeze-2006 exercise has already enflamed passions in the largely Russian-speaking area and led to members of the public and political organizations staging anti-NATO protests.

But the Defense Ministry dismissed the claims of some members of the local city council that some of the delivered containers contained weapons, explosives and poisonous gases.

"This information does not correspond to reality," the ministry said. "None of the containers contains toxic substances."

The ministry said the United States had provided information that the ship had fire extinguishers, gas cylinders for cooking purposes and medicine on board.