Aug. 12, 2000 — The submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea with 118 people aboard, setting off the first widespread criticism of Putin, who stayed on vacation early in the crisis and waited five days before accepting Western offers of help.

Source: https://www.mymcmurray.com/2023/12/08/key-events-in-vladimir-putins-more-than-two-decades-in-power-in-russia/

On April 29, a team of scientists sailed on a research vessel to the chilly waters of the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

Source: https://southafricatoday.net/environment/global-ocean-census-aims-to-find-100000-marine-species-in-10-years/