On 30 May, the Rescue Forces of the Northern Fleet have headed for an assigned area of the Barents Sea to participate in the Barents 2018 Russian-Norwegian joint drills.

The drills are aimed at practising joint actions in search and rescue operations, preventing oil pollution of the sea amid intensive commercial development of the Arctic.

At the drills, the Northern Fleet will be represented by the latest multifunctional combat logistics ship Elbrus, rescue towboat SB-523, Il-38 and Mi-8 aircraft.

Ships, vessels, aircraft of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Northern Norway, the coastal administration, the Navy coastal guards, patrol aircraft of Air Force, the AVINOR airspace control service are involved in the drills from the Norwegian side.

Among other missions, the sides will train oil spill response.

The Barents exercise is the only drills of Rescue Forces, carried out annually by Russia and Norway in the Arctic region.