Russia drafts in latest military defence tactics - five bottlenose dolphins

Russia has enlisted some new recruits into its navy - in the form of five bottlenose dolphins.

A tender for the Ministry of Defence revealed that Russia paid a total of $26,000 (£18,051) for the marine mammals, which will have 'all teeth in tact' and 'no mucus from the blowhole.' 

However, the country are still refusing to reveal why the mysterious decision has been made. 

Russia has enlisted some new recruits into its navy - in the form of five bottlenose dolphins

And there is no suggestion as to what the three male and two female dolphins, from Moscow's Utrish Dolphinarium, will be doing.

But there is the chance that the cute creatures could be used as killers.

For, in the Cold War, the Soviet Union not only used them for aquatic investigations and rescues but they also trained them to plant explosive devices on enemy ships.

Russia has been training dolphins without explanation since the 1960s and most recently used them when it conquered Crimea in 2014. 

However, the Washington Post reports that the Defence Ministry denied claims that the aquatic animals were being trained as killers.

And Russia is not the only country to employ dolphins for its military defence.

Russia has been training dolphins without explanation since the 1960s and most recently used them when it conquered Crimea in 2014

According to the New York Daily News, The US navy has also had its own dolphin training programme in place since the Cold War.

But on the website for the training programme, the navy insists that it has no intention of using them for war.

It reads: 'Since dolphins cannot discern the difference between enemy and friendly vessels, or enemy and friendly divers and swimmers, it would not be wise to give that kind of decision authority to an animal. 

'The animals are trained to detect, locate, and mark all mines or all swimmers in an area of interest or concern, and are not trained to distinguish between what we would refer to as good or bad.'

In the Cold War, the Soviet Union not only used dolphins for aquatic investigations and rescues but they also trained them to plant explosive devices on enemy ships

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3556383/Russia-drafts-latest-military-defence-tactics-five-bottlenose-dolphins.html