Russia has deployed combat dolphins near a naval base in northwestern Crimea, the British Royal Navy has discovered. The dressed animals are planned to be used to protect Ukrainian special forces divers.
Source. It was reported by Naval News.
The dolphin units appeared at the military base in Novoozerne in September. The facility is located 90 km northwest of Sevastopol, much closer to the front line. The transfer of the mammals coincided with the increased activity of Ukrainian special forces in the northern part of the Black Sea. The Ukrainian Armed Forces then announced a successful operation to retake gas and oil drilling platforms known as Boyko rigs and conducted several raids on military installations along the coast.
The detachments are located west of Novoozerne's main piers, next to the oyster farm's pier.
Russia began using combat dolphins after the invasion of Ukraine. In particular, they were used to protect the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
In June of this year, the number of animals was doubled to six or seven. American military expert High Sutton linked such measures to the beginning of Ukraine's counteroffensive. The Ukrainian Armed Forces named the destruction of the Sevastopol base as one of their key objectives.
The dressed dolphins are considered effective against military divers: no human, no matter how trained, can swim at the same speed. And the built-in sonar gives them an even greater advantage.
The mammals can detect a diver and either mark him or her for the military or even deal a fatal blow to the person. Also, the dressed animals can patrol the coast with a video recording device and a radio beacon.
Background. In June, it was reported that Russia had doubled the number of combat dolphins guarding the Sevastopol Bay.