TASS, May 11. The Altai rescue vessel, an Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft and a Kamov Ka-27PS helicopter from Russia’s Northern Fleet will participate in a joint Russia-Norway maritime rescue exercise scheduled to take place in the Barents Sea on May 28-29, the Fleet’s press service said in a statement on Saturday.

"The exercise will take place in international waters and in the Varangerfjord area along the maritime border between Russia and Norway," the statement reads. "The Northern Fleet will be represented by the Altai rescue tugboat, an Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft and a Kamov Ka-27PS helicopter," the press service added.

The exercise is aimed at testing joint search and rescue operations and operations to respond to dangerous environmental incidents in the Arctic seas. The parties will agree on the final details of the drills in Norway’s Kirkenes on May 27.

The Barents international exercise takes place annually in accordance with an intergovernmental agreement Russia and Norway made on October 4, 1995. Russian and Norwegian rescue forces take turns running the drills.