To protect its naval base on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Russia is relying more on so-called combat dolphins, according to information from British intelligence. Footage from the port of Sevastopol, the base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, shows that the number of floating accommodations has nearly doubled.
Bottlenose dolphins are most likely kept in enclosures to fend off enemy divers, the Defense Ministry said in London on Friday.
Ukrainian attacks several times
In general, security measures have been greatly increased since the summer of 2022. “This includes at least four layers of nets and barriers along the port entrance,” the ministry said. The port of Sevastopol has been the target of suspected attacks by Ukrainian missiles or drones several times during the Russian offensive war against Ukraine. At the end of April, several oil tanks were destroyed there.
Russia’s use of trained dolphins had previously been reported several times. According to the US Naval Institute, the Soviet Navy developed several marine mammal programs during the Cold War, including one involving so-called combat dolphins near Sevastopol.
The dolphin control program was under Ukrainian control
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, this went to the Ukrainian military, but as a result of the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, the combat dolphin program came under the control of the Russian Navy. It has since expanded.
Russia has been training animals for a number of missions, it said in London. “The Navy also uses beluga whales and seals in Arctic waters.”
Use of dolphins also in other states
Other countries also train intelligent marine mammals for a variety of purposes. For example, to clear the sea of sea mines, to transport explosives to enemy ships or to expose enemy combat divers. States that have trained dolphins for military use include the United States, Israel, North Korea, and Sweden.
Source: Krone
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