The "battle dolphins" of the Crimean city of Sevastopol will be "re-recruited" into the Russian Navy. That dolphin training center is one of two in the world - the second is in the US.
As one employee from the dolphin training center told RIA Novosti, the entire training program will be preserved and redirected to the interests of the Russian Navy.
Ukraine previously planned to suspend this program, which was started in 1960, in April. The reason was budget funds.
But the objects and dolphins have now, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, become Russian.
Our engineers have found new instruments and new applications to improve the efficiency of these dolphins underwater, said one of the employees, who wished to remain anonymous. He added that the dolphins are currently equipped with very outdated equipment.
Dolphins are trained to patrol the open sea and to attack or attach certain objects to a military target. They can "lay" mines on the sea floor, or "locate" divers known as "frogmen", which very often "human" sonar systems cannot detect, because they are too small in a crowded space such as harbors.
"Our experts discovered new devices, which convert the detection of objects through sonar, which the dolphins have, to the monitor that the operators have," said the source, adding that the Ukrainian Navy did not have the funds for it, so some further projects were canceled.
The source expressed hope that the Russian Navy will support these combat programs, which include sea lion training.
After the collapse of the USSR, the combat dolphin training program was handed over to the Ukrainian Navy, where it was originally repurposed for civilian purposes, and was used to work with children with disabilities and special needs (dolphin therapy). The facility, and with it the program, was returned to the auspices of the Army of Ukraine in 2011.
By the way, this is one of two objects of its kind in the world. Another training center for fighting dolphins is located in the USA, in San Diego.
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