Satellite Images Show Trained Russian Military Dolphins Deployed To Guard Black Sea Naval Base

Russia has reportedly deployed trained military dolphins at its naval base in the Black Sea as the country's war in Ukraine continues.

According to reports, two dolphin pens were moved to the base in February at the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine to the naval base at Sevastopol harbour, in what is said to be a move to protect its fleet from an underwater attack.

Sevastopol is the Russian Navy¡¯s most significant naval base in the Black Sea.

USNI

What satellite images found

The US Naval Institute (USNI) reviewed satellite imagery of Sevastopol and conclude that the Russian Navy has placed two dolphin pens at the entrance to Sevastopol harbor, sheltered just inside a sea wall.

Inside the port, many high-value Russian Navy ships are arranged out of range of Ukrainian missiles but vulnerable to undersea sabotage, according to satellite photos.

USNI

It is unclear whether Ukraine has planned any combat-swimmer operations against Sevastopol. But dolphins are widely considered by naval analysts a considered an effective defense against divers.

Not anything new for Russia

Russia has a history of training dolphins for military purposes, using the aquatic mammal to retrieve objects or deter enemy divers.

The Sevastopol naval base is crucial for the Russian military, as it sits in the southern tip of Crimea which Moscow seized in 2014.

According to the USNI's analysis, many of the Russian ships anchored there, while out of range from missiles, are potentially vulnerable to undersea attacks.

AFP

Ukraine had also trained dolphins at an aquarium near Sevastopol, in a programme born out of a Soviet-era scheme that fell into neglect in the 1990s.

During the Cold War, both the US and the Soviet Union developed the use of dolphins whose echolocation capabilities can allow them to detect underwater objects such as mines.

The US has spent at least $28 million maintaining its own troops of dolphins and sea lions - which are also trainable - to potentially help with conflicts.

The Sevastopol programme was resurrected in 2012 by the Ukrainian navy, but the mammals fell into Russian hands after the 2014 invasion of Crimea. Ukraine unsuccessfully demanded the return of the animals, and RIA Novosti reported that Moscow planned to expand the scheme.

AFP/ File

While Russia is firmly in control of the war, recently it was left an embarrassing blow after the flagship of its Black Sea fleet Moskva was hit by Ukrainian missiles, resulting in an explosion that eventually sunk the ship.

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