Satellite pictures show Russia is deploying SPY DOLPHINS to attack Ukrainian divers in Putin’s latest bizarre tactic
SATELLITE pictures have revealed Russia is deploying spy dolphins to rattle Ukrainian divers.
Vladimir Putin's bizarre tactic was spotted by UK spy chiefs, whose intel appeared to show boosted security at the Black Sea Fleet base.
The southern Russian Navy force is located at the Sevastopol port in Crimea and could become a major target in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, it was reported.
As a result, desperate Putin has piled in "layers of nets and booms" at the harbours entrance, the UK defence intelligence agency said.
Birdseye images of the strategic port showed it littered with makeshift barriers as well as a bunch of marine mammal pens.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the enclosures housed "spy dolphins".
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"Since summer 2022, the Russian Navy has invested in major enhancements to the security of the Black Sea Fleet’s main base at Sevastopol," the MoD said.
"This includes at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance.
"In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals.
"Imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbour, which are highly likely to contain bottle-nosed dolphins."
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The highly-trained underwater assets are part of a military spy program that stems back to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
But the mammals' development have grown significantly since and played key roles in sabotage when Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014.
The MoD claimed the animals were now being trained to attack Ukrainian divers.
A spokesman said: "Russia has trained animals for a range of missions, but the ones housed in Sevastopol harbour are highly likely intended to counter enemy divers.
"In Arctic waters, the navy also uses Beluga whales and seals."
It comes as dolphins trained by the Ukrainian military died "patriotically" after reportedly going on a hunger strike when they were seized by Russians.
As the claims emerged, Russia hit back by accusing Ukraine of using "illegal nets" and fishing boats to poach marine life - including almost 50 dolphins - from the Russian coast.
He said: "Border guards managed to release 161 flounder, four crabs and three black sea sharks - but 46 dolphins died."
In the 1970s, Ukraine's bottlenose dolphins were trained to carry out marine missions.
They were allegedly capable of planting bombs on ships and attacking divers with guns strapped to their heads.
Borys Babin, the Ukrainian government's representative in Crimea, revealed they died while refusing to follow orders or eat food provided by the "Russian invaders".
He said: "The dolphins, trained by the Ukrainian naval forces in Sevastopol, would communicate with their trainers through special whistles.
"The trained animals refused not only to interact with the new Russian coaches, but refused food and died some time later.
"Many Ukrainian soldiers took their oath and loyalty much less seriously than these dolphins."
Russian Duma deputy Dmitry Belik has claimed all the combat dolphins that served in the naval forces of Ukraine were sold to commercial entities or died of natural causes.
“There can be no talk about any Ukrainian patriotism with regards to the combat dolphins because under Ukraine, the special forces dolphins… were involved entirely in commercial activities, not underwater operations,” he said.
The crew of YaMK-0041, the boat Russia is accusing of poaching dolphins, was detained and the captain faces up to five years in jail if convicted of poaching.
"The detention of the Ukrainian ship prevented major damage to the Black Sea's ecology," said the FSB.
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"Crimean border guards pulled over 9,300 metres (30,500 ft) of fishing nets out of the sea and saved 161 olive flounder, three dogfish sharks, and four green crabs.
"They were returned to their natural habitat."
