- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 27, 2014

Not the dolphins, too! Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeded in gaining a warm water port for himself when he invaded Crimea, and now he’s taken control of Ukraine’s military dolphins.

“The combat dolphin program in the Crimean city of Sevastopol will be preserved and redirected toward the interests of the Russian navy,” state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday, according to CNN.

The highly intelligent mammals are used by military forces to identify security risks such as landmines.

The Ukraine Defense Ministry responded to CNN’s inquiries by saying that the nation does have a facility for military dolphins, but could not say more due to its classified nature.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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