UK officials say Russia is 'likely' training combat dolphins for Ukraine war

Isabelle Butera, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The U.K. Ministry of Defence announced on Friday that the agency's intelligence found that it is “likely” Russia has trained combat dolphins to defend its Navy base in Sevastopol.

The Russian Navy has been enhancing security at its base in the city in occupied Crimea since last summer, according to the update. The imagery of the base reveals an increasing number of floating mammal pens, likely housing bottlenose dolphins.

“This includes at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals,” said the statement.

The update suggests that the dolphins are being trained to counter enemy divers.

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Pictured: Bottlenose dolphin off the coast of California, like the kind allegedly trained by Russian forces.
Pictured: Bottlenose dolphin off the coast of California, like the kind allegedly trained by Russian forces.

Russia has previously used Beluga whales and seals in Arctic regions for navy surveillance missions, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

What can dolphins do?

According to a PBS Frontline episode “A Whale of a Business," dolphins can detect and mark underwater mines, as well as detect enemy swimmers.

Bottlenose dolphins use echolocation to find objects underwater, and therefore have the most sophisticated sonar known to science, according to the Naval Information Warfare Center. Their exceptional low-light vision and underwater directional hearing make them useful for surveillance and defense missions, the NIWC says.

Dolphins have been used by US military before

Both the United States and the Soviet Union raced to train marine mammals during the Cold War, according to the PBS Frontline Documentary.

“At one point during the 1980s, the U.S. program had over 100 dolphins, as well as numerous sea lions and beluga whales, and an operating budget of $8 million dollars,” the episode stated.

Dolphins played a role in the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf, patrolling anchored vessels with their sonar and alerting trainer guards of enemy swimmers.

Rumors circulated during the Vietnam War that the Navy trained dolphins to attack and kill enemy divers, although the Navy claims no dolphin has ever been trained to kill a human, according to Frontline.

Russia has also used marine mammals in the past for military purposes. In 2019, a Beluga whale with an attached camera was found off the coast of Norway making friends with local people. The whale was suspected to be part of a Russian surveillance mission.

What it means

The suspected dolphin training comes alongside amped-up security at the Russia base in Sevastopol following drone strikes in April. A suspected Ukraine drone strike ignited a Crimean oil depot and hit three “unmanned boats” in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Russia has occupied Crimea for nine years. Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to drive Russian forces out of all of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea.

Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia training dolphins for defense in Ukraine war: UK officials