Russia stations highly trained ‘spy dolphins’ to ‘protect Black Sea naval base’ after they ‘defected’ to join Putin’s regime

US Satellite images appear to have shown that Russia are using highly trained “spy dolphins” to protect the Black Sea naval base from sabotage.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine pens of the dolphins where moved to Sevastopol naval base and they are used by the Russian military who have trained them to carry bombs, attack enemy divers and can even plant mines.

In 2014 when Russia took over and annexed Crimea the Kremlin claims the dolphin unit had “defected” to Russia to join Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Russia fears that Ukrainian forces could send a crack team of underwater saboteurs to covertly enter the Sevastopol naval base and are using the dolphins to “counter diver” operations.

Sevastopol is home to the Russian Black Sea fleet which has many valuable warships and started training dolphins some fifty years ago during the Soviet Union.

In 1959 the US Navy established their Marine Mammal Programme when they discovered that the tactful sea mammals were found to be highly skilled at identifying naval threats.

In 2013 two thirds of the military dolphins went absent without leave during a “naval exercise” to search for mates in the Black Sea.

The MailOnline was told by a army source, “They deserted a naval exercise and went on manoeuvres of an amorous kind. They swam away to look for mates.”