Russian sailors appeared to be sunbathing shirtless while their destroyer took a run at a US Navy warship
- A Russian destroyer sailed dangerously close to a US Navy guided-missile cruiser in the Philippine Sea on Friday.
- US Navy videos of the "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter appear to show Russian sailors sunbathing on the helicopter pad.
- Their presence could be seen as a potential taunt, though neither the Navy or the Department of Defense would speculate about exactly what the Russians were doing.
- Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.
A Russian destroyer and a US Navy cruiser nearly collided at sea on Friday. Videos released by the Navy appear to show Russian sailors sunbathing shirtless on the back of their warship during this close encounter.
Read more: Shocking photos show Russian destroyer playing a dangerous game of chicken with a US warship
The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior by sailing dangerously close to the US Navy Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chancellorsville, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement accompanied by photos and videos of the incident.
The Russians accused the American vessel of acting improperly, arguing that the USS Chancellorsville abruptly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer.
Read more: US Navy videos show just how close a Russian destroyer came to colliding with a US warship
Amid the back and forth over who is to blame for the latest US-Russia confrontation, eagle-eyed observers took note of something peculiar in the videos released by the Navy - what appears to be Russian sailors sunbathing shirtless, if not naked, as one appears to be, on the helicopter pad.
NPR reported the unusual Russian behavior in an article discussing the showdown between the Russian and US warships.
"In an odd sight, the videos show several Russian service members seemed to be sunbathing on an aft platform aboard the destroyer as it nears the American warship," the writer observed.
While Department of Defense and Navy officials noted the behavior, none were willing to speculate on the record about what exactly the Russians were doing or why.