Russia may be training killer beluga whales and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 isn’t so silly now, is it?

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 was fun. It had a banging remix of an already banging song by Frank Klepacki and reveled in the silliness of its premise, tone, and most of its weapons - including the Allies' sonic-enhanced dolphin and the Soviets' giant squid.

But those units weren't actually as silly as they seemed. Dolphins in particular were really used (or should that be abused?) by both the USA and Soviets for military purposes, and it looks like modern Russia is still at it.

Last week, a group of fishermen had an ostensibly delightful encounter with a beluga whale off the coast of the Norwegian village of Inga, according to The Guardian. They say it was actively seeking their boats to try and pull straps and ropes from their sides, and seemed comfortable around humans. This suggests it had been trained. The proof of the link with Russia? It was wearing a harness, inside of which the words 'equipment of St Petersburg' were stamped.

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