Russia is using dolphins to protect its naval base in the Black Sea as its ground forces consolidate in Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region following failed attempts to capture the capital, Kyiv.
The Russian navy set up dolphin pens just inside a seawall at the entrance to the harbor in Sevastopol, the most important naval base in the Black Sea. The U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) said the dolphins may be assigned to counter-diver missions to prevent Ukrainian saboteurs from attacking Russian warships.
The U.S. Navy has employed similar marine mammal programs for several years.
The Soviet navy made extensive use of dolphins’ sonar-like abilities during the Cold War. The program lapsed after the fall of the Soviet Union, but it has since been restored as part of the Russian navy.
Russia has pushed its Black Sea fleet out of range of possible missile strikes after its flagship, the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, sank following an April 14 attack by Ukrainian forces.
In 2018, the Black Sea dolphin unit was sent to Russia’s Mediterranean Sea naval base in Tartus, Syria, with a mission similar to that underway in the Sevastopol harbor, the USNI said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.