Russia deploys trained military dolphins to guard key Black Sea naval bases

Russia has trained dolphins to guard entrance of key Black Sea port and significant Kremlin naval bases under its marine mammal programme that trains marine animals to be experts in being able to detect enemy ships and sea mines. Militarised dolphin pens were spotted at naval base at Sevastopol harbour in sentinel-2 satellite imagery released by US Naval Institute (USNI) on April 27, Wednesday. 

At least two highly trained dolphin pens were deployed by naval forces of Russian Federation to base in February, around time Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. move was intended for marine creatures to help protect Moscow’s key Sevastopol naval base at sourn tip of annexed Crimea where several Russian warships are anchored out of range from missiles but vulnerable to sea assault, according to a naval analyst HI Sutton.

(Image: H I Sutton Illustration for USNI News Satellite image Maxar Technologies)

(Image: H I Sutton Illustration for USNI)

dolphins were trained by Russia under a programme that was first launched during Soviet-era in 1990s. Sevastopol programme was resurrected by Ukrainian navy in 2012 but after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, trained dolphins were confiscated by Russian naval forces. Moscow has since planned to expand scheme, RIA Novosti reported. 

(Satellite images of Sevastopol and dolphin pens at entrance to Sevastopol BaySatellite image. Image: Maxar Technologies)

Military dolphins foe counter combat operations at Sevastopol harbor in Crimea

images released by Maxar Technologies depict  Russian Navy’s dolphins swimming at entrance to Sevastopol harbour in Crimea remaining alert to an enemy presence. y would counter Ukrainian navy divers that could attempt to sabotage Russian warships at port in course of ongoing war, submarine analyst Sutton said in US Naval Institute report. mammals were seen following historic sinking of Moscow’s flagship Black Sea missile cruiser Moskva formerly Slava. 

Russian Defence Ministry h said ammunition onboard h exploded setting warship ablaze and subsequently tipping it over as it was being towed to port. Ukrainian forces claimed that 510 crew warship was struck by m using Neptune missiles as vessel h been a military target since it attacked Ukrainian forces on infamous Snake Island. Moskva gained notoriety after it rioed surrender warnings to Ukrainian border troops defending Snake Island in Black Sea. 

(A trainer touches nose of US navy dolphin “Shasta” during a demonstration at US Navy Marine Mammal Program facility at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. Image: AP)

Both United States and Moscow have long weaponized and trained marine creatures such as dolphins and beluga whales for espionage and or combat operations against enemy naval forces, and defending maritime sovereignty A beluga whale named Hvaldimir was also caught spying on NATO ships in 2019 off norastern coast of Norway. About same time,  Russian Navy moved some whale pens to Olenya Guba submarine base.

four-meter-long white cetacean was found with yellow harness attached to a clip used for mounting a camera. buckle was later inspected and words “Equipment of St. Petersburg” were decoded. Separately, a detachment of sea lions were trained by Russian Navy in 2018 in Murmansk Marine Biological Institute for combat missions under a programme that began in 1984. 

(Image: Murmansk marine biological institute)

(Image: Murmansk marine biological institute)

Russia also widely trains whales for surveillance of Scandinavian waters, particularly Norway and Sweden, both of whom have reported several incidences of mock attack runs and surveillance missions conducted by Russian military whales and dolphins. 1.75-ton beluga whales and dolphins are trained by Russian military due to ir echolocation capabilities and sonar that make m useful in locating and navigating oceans using reflected sound that helps hunt and identify enemy warships.

Beluga whales can dive up to 700 meters deep, much deeper than military submarines. y also carry out counter-diver operations, detect underwater objects and infiltrating espionage objects due to high levels of intelligence. 

(Image: @CovertShores/Twitter)

USA's Marine Mammal Programme 

United States Navy, like Russia, has been training sea animals, including dolphins, rays, sharks, turtles and sea birds in its military since 1959 under US Navy Marine Mammal Program. US military has also been training California sea lions at base in Point Loma, San Diego since 1960s. Sea lions were used by American military to guard warships in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, and Bahrain, and to search naval mines in Persian Gulf and Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. To date, San Diego-based Marine Mammal programme hosts about seventy-five dolphins and thirty sea lions trained by naval commandos.

“ naval command's idea was to deploy beluga whales at entrances to bays as sentries,” Soviet scientist Genny Matishov explains in a report. ir main role was to protect waters of fleet's principal base against underwater saboteurs.

According to Russia Beyond, Moscow operates a mammal training centre in Murmansk, norrn Russia and in Sevastopol in Crimea. two top-secret centres are named Murmansk Marine Biological Institute and Sevastopol Oceanarium. Each dolphin costs  Russian military 350,000 rubles ($6,150).