Status: 04/28/2022 14:15
Russia fears Ukrainian attacks on its Black Sea fleet – especially after the sinking of the flagship Moskva. Moscow is therefore apparently also counting on combat dolphins. Satellite images show new pens in the port of Sevastopol.
According to US media reports, the Russian Navy also uses military-trained dolphins to protect its fleet in the Black Sea. Two underwater enclosures have been placed at the entrance to the port of Sevastopol, the independent US Naval Institute (USNI) wrote on its news portal.
Satellite images suggested the pens were moved there in February, around the time Russia’s attack on Ukraine began. It is conceivable that dolphins are used to repel enemy divers who might try to enter the harbor and sabotage warships. Many of them are currently beyond the range of Ukrainian missiles.
Satellite photo service stock valuation
The Washington Post wrote that the US satellite photo service Maxar shares the assessment of USNI experts. The provider had made the relevant recordings available to the newspaper. Given their excellent sense of hearing, marine mammals are able to detect mines and other potentially dangerous objects. The US military, for example, has been training dolphins and sea lions to combat underwater threats since the 1960s.
According to the US Naval Institute, based in Annapolis, Maryland, the Soviet Navy developed several marine mammal programs during the Cold War, including one using so-called combat dolphins near Sevastopol. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it went to the Ukrainian military, but later came under the control of the Russian Navy as a result of the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Since then, these programs have been expanded.
Animal helpers in war
dolphins: In the military, for example, they must track weapons or lay mines against enemy ships.
sea lions: Similar to dolphins, mammals must track down terrorists, spies or enemy navy divers underwater and sound the alarm. They are also used in mine detection.
Dogs: Four-legged friends use their sense of smell to sniff out the explosive smell of explosives and other chemicals in landmines. They are intensively trained to detect metal and plastic mines.
mice: They are also used in mined areas. According to the International Center for Humane Demining in Geneva, a group of rats is as productive as a pack of sniffer dogs, but it saves a lot of money.
bees: Insects are said to be more effective at searching for mines than expensive search devices and sensitive sniffer dogs. Tens of thousands of bees can scour a large area in a relatively short time without accidentally activating mines. For example, trained animals are trained to associate the smell of explosive material with food. They then swarm near buried mines in hopes of finding food there.
horses: They are used for military transport. Bundeswehr mountain troops, for example, maneuver through the most remote passes with their mules and Haflingers. The mules can carry up to 140 kilograms of weapons and equipment.
with dpa material