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Report: Russia Is Using Trained Dolphins to Protect Its Black Sea Naval Base

Report: Russia Is Using Trained Dolphins to Protect Its Black Sea Naval Base

USNI News reports that Russia has recruited several pods of dolphins to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

According to the report, Sevastopol harbor is now home to two dolphin pens that guard Russia’s most important naval base in the Black Sea. Russian ships are protected from Ukrainian missiles in the port, but they’re vulnerable to covert undersea sabotage like diver-led missions. That’s where the dolphins come in, who act as guard dogs to attack any intruders.

It sounds like something out of Aquaman, but it’s an increasingly common tactic utilized by both Russia and the U.S. to protect naval priorities from undersea attack. Dolphins are intelligent and easily trained to fend off intruding divers, like a marine guard dog. In the north, Russia is reportedly using Beluga whales and seals to do the same thing in colder temperatures.

Despite Russia’s initial predictions that the Ukrainian invasion would be over swiftly, NATO is now warning that it could drag on for years. Despite near global condemnation, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has warned of “lightning fast” responses to any nations that attempt to intervene on Ukraine’s behalf. Tensions remain extremely high between Russia and Western nations, and experts remain wary of the threat of nuclear war. The United Nations estimates roughly 2,829 civilian deaths since the invasion began.

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