Russia's Defence Ministry says a US destroyer approached dangerously close to a Russian warship in the Mediterranean Sea on June 17, and has protested at what it said was a flagrant US violation of rules to avoid collisions at sea.
The alleged incident involved the USS Gravely and the Russian Navy frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Gravely approached the Russian vessel at a distance of 60-70 metres from the port side and crossed in front of it, it said.
At the time of the incident, the Russian ship was in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean, cruising steadily and without making any dangerous manoeuvres, the Russian statement said.
There was no immediate comment from Washington.
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Recent months have seen a number of similar Cold War-style incidents at sea and in the air, with each country's military accusing the other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace.
In one such case, the US military said in April that Russian Su-24 bombers had simulated attack passes near the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, with one official describing them as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said at the time that the behaviour of the Russian pilots was reckless, provocative and dangerous, adding that "under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down".
Russia's Defence Ministry, uneasy about increased NATO activity close to Russia's borders, said the latest incident "shows that it is US sailors who allow themselves to forget the basic principles of safe seafaring and not to think about the eventual consequences of this dangerous manoeuvring in regions with intense navigation".
