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Flag Russia Footage of the Ukrainian surface drone strike on Sochi, which struck the Russian Government linked special ship Nefrit, also shows a rare glimpse at something else. In the harbour the Russian navy has deployed trained dolphins and belugas to defend against divers. The pens are just visible, fleetingly, in video footage posted on Russian social media.

The attack involved British built Kraken USVs, the first time that they have been seen in public sources in the Black Sea.

Kraken USV A Kraken USV, seen here at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) in UK, 2026.

The harbour also has a floating boom defense fitted, but the Nefrit was tied up along the sea wall outside this defensive line.

Marine mammal pens Sochi Reference satellite image of the pens from Google Earth. The square pens are for dolphins, and the octagonal one for Beluga whales.

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