Russia doubles number of trained dolphins defending Black Sea fleet from Ukraine attacks
- The increase comes after several drone attacks targeting Russia’s ships in the area, as Ukrainian forces launched their recent counteroffensive
- The animals are trained to defend against Ukrainian special forces divers – or combat swimmers – who might try to invade the base at Sevastopol
Russian forces have doubled the number of trained dolphins defending its Black Sea fleet in the Crimean Peninsula against Ukrainian attacks, according to analysis by Naval News – the British Royal Navy’s official newspaper.
The Russian Navy has previously used militarised dolphins to protect its naval base at the harbour of Sevastopol, it was reported last year, as a means of preventing Ukrainian undersea operations from sabotaging Russian ships.
Satellite imagery at the time captured by Maxar Technologies shows two pens containing the trained dolphins.
The number of dolphins being kept at the port has recently doubled from three or four to six or seven, H I Sutton, an expert on submarine and subsurface systems and technologies, wrote for Naval News.
The increase comes after several drone attacks targeting Russia’s ships in the area, as Ukrainian forces launched their recent counteroffensive in the long-running conflict.