US-UK naval group enters Barents Sea for the first time since mid-1980s

摘要

The UK Royal Navy (RN) stated on its website on 4 May that it and the US Navy (USN) have started training within the Arctic Circle. NATO surface vessels have for the first time since the mid-1980s entered the Barents Sea bordering Murmansk and Russia's nuclear submarine bases on the Kola Peninsula. Russian state-run RT and Star TV on 4 May reported a National Defence Centre announcement that Russia's Northern Fleet had begun escorting a "NATO naval strike group" that had entered the Barents Sea. The USN said on its website on 4 May, "The Russian Ministry of Defence was notified of the visit to the Barents Sea... to avoid misperceptions, reduce risk, and prevent inadvertent escalation."