(Photo : Noah Munivez / Pexels)
How the Russian Navy Uses Dolphin Defenses in the Face of Ukraine's Attacks? The Russian navy reportedly has hired bottlenose dolphins to defend Sevastopol in the Black Sea against Ukraine troops by scaring off scuba divers.

The Russian navy has reportedly begun enlisting bottlenose dolphins to guard the Sevastopol naval facility in the Black Sea, even though these are not the animals you may be envisioned to assemble a tough army of fighters.

Trained to Daunt Unsuspecting Scuba Divers

The UK Ministry of Defence claims that "trained marine mammals" are being housed in enclosures specifically designed to scare off scuba divers, as posted on Twitter.

UK intelligence reports that these pens have almost increased in recent weeks, which may indicate that more dolphins are being enlisted. They would not be able to hold their own in an actual fight with human divers, but they could alert their handlers to the location of divers and even tag them so they can be found more easily.

The Ocean Conservancy remarked that the top speed that bottlenose dolphins have been recorded at is roughly 18 miles (29 kilometers) per hour. That is much faster than the maximum speed that even the greatest human swimmers can achieve, which is around 6 miles (10 kilometers) per hour.

Based on the data provided to Naval News, there may be as many as seven dolphins actively serving in and around the port. These dolphins may be carried throughout the base on boats in crates made especially for them.

There are other safeguards than dolphins. Sevastopol is protected by an intricate system of anti-torpedo nets, depth charge systems, and rocket launchers. So even if the divers get through all that, they still have to deal with the dolphins.

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Utilization of Dolphins in a Defense Role

Russia has occupied Sevastopol since its takeover of Crimea in 2014, making it an easy target for Ukrainian troops.

The Russian military may have been using marine creatures for years. Spy whales, as they are nicknamed, have been seen with Russian technology that may or may not be used for surveillance, and they have shown an uncommon affinity toward people.

According to ScienceAlert, it has been hypothesized that the dolphins' apparent friendliness and desire to approach vessels is really an attempt to escape their restrictions. However, governments are reluctant to share information about their military plans or what they may have learned about the plans of other countries.

The US, like the Russians, has taught dolphins to search for and indicate the sites of underwater mines using buoys. This has been studied and implemented since the 1960s, spanning many decades.

This idea may sound ridiculous initially, but two of the world's most powerful countries have been utilizing dolphins as a kind of military protection for some time now.

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