Russia appear to have deployed trained military dolphins following its invasion of Ukraine . Satellite imageryanalyzed by The US Naval Institute(USNI ) suggests that Russia has set the military dolphins the task of protecting its Black Sea naval theme .
According to USNI , two dolphin penitentiary were moved in February at the start of the invasion and place at the entry to Sevastopol seaport . The USNI believes that the dolphin may be there to foresee diver mathematical operation at the fundament , which is crucialgiven its position at the southern tip of the Russian - seized Crimean Peninsula .
ship stationed at the base are out of range of Ukrainian missiles , but could be vulnerable to underwater sabotage attempts , hence the indigence for coach mahimahi .
Boththe USand the Soviet Union set out political program training military dolphins ( and sea Panthera leo for the US , belugas for the USSR ) during the Cold War .
" Our specialist develop new devices that convert dolphin ’ underwater sonar detection of targets into a signal to the manipulator ’s proctor . The Ukrainian dark blue miss fund for such know - how , and some projects had to be mothballed , " one Russian source said , as seen byThe Guardian .
agree to Ukraine , however , many of the dolphinfish appeared torefuse to defect to Russia , go on hunger smasher , and died " patriotically " .
As well as dolphins , Russia is know to use beluga whales in the Arctic , pass on their suitableness to cold environments . One hausen , named Hvaldimir , believed to have been released from captivity by Russia became famous in 2019 when it was seen"playing fetch " with a rugby ball .
The beluga approached a sportfishing boat wearing a harness stamp with " Equipment of St Petersburg " , cue conjecture that it may have been aRussian undercover agent whale , with a harness used to mount a television camera .
“ We know that in Russia they have had domesticated whales in imprisonment and also that some of these have obviously been released . Then they often seek out boat , ” Professor Audun Rikardsen of the Arctic University of Norway toldNRKat the time .
" If this whale comes from Russia and there is great reason to believe it does , then it is not Russian scientists , but rather the navy that has done this , " Martin Biuw of the Institute for Marine Research sum up .
Sadly , Hvaldimir did not fare well after its spill by the Russian military machine , and lost a fate of weight as it undertake to live forth from human maintenance . The whale , now under the upkeep of the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway , has since seen significant improvements in its physical condition . Its disposition to seek out boats , however , has seen itreceive several injuries from propellor .
