Ukrainian navy loses three 'killer' dolphins

The navy has reportedly lost three of its carefully trained “killer” dolphins. The defence ministry has denied the reports and refused to confirm that its navy uses dolphins, but the loss has been widely reported in the country, and former naval officers said dolphins often went missing during exercises to look for mates.

“If a male dolphin saw a female during the mating season, then he would immediately set off after her,” Yury Plyachenko, a former Soviet naval officer told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.

The navy has allegedly restarted its dolphin training programme, teaching them to detect mines and attack enemy swimmers using weapons attached to their heads.