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US Navy sails warships into Barents Sea for the first time since the 1980s

US Navy sails warships into Barents Sea for the first time since the 1980s

USS Donald Cook

The US Navy sailed three warships into the Barents Sea off Russia's Arctic coast Monday -- first time since the mid-1980s, the height of the Cold War.

The three destroyers -- USS Donald Cook, USS Porter and USS Roosevelt -- were joined by a UK Royal Navy frigate, HMS Kent.

The Barents Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean and borders northern Norway and Russia.

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The US Navy said it had notified Moscow of the upcoming operation on Friday "to avoid misperceptions, reduce risk, and prevent inadvertent

The purpose of the operation was to assert freedom of navigation and demonstrate seamless integration among allies, US Naval Forces Europe said in a statement.

The US and Russian militaries often find themselves operating in close proximity in and around Europe.

US officials have consistently said that Russia has boosted its military presence in the Arctic in recent years.

Last month the US military accused Russian jets of twice endangering the crew of a US Navy surveillance plane flying in international airspace in the eastern Mediterranean after the Russian aircraft performed what the Navy called "unsafe and unprofessional" intercepts.