Russia is so belligerent that even its marine life has weapons

Two Russian seals have been kitted up with Soviet military hardware to commemorate World War Two

A seal, outfitted with a Soviet military hat and rifle, plays its part in Russia's commemoration of World War Two. (WebTV51)

Two seals at a Russian aquarium were decked out with Soviet military gear and weapons as the nation celebrated the 70th anniversary of victory over Germany in the Second World War.

The seals, named Winnie the Pooh and Laska, were trained to wear military hats, shoot guns (water guns, fortunately), and even salute, at a sea life centre in the Siberian town of Irkutsk.

The video shows one of the oddest war commemorations in history, as the seals, sporting headgear emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle, obediently spin around, salute their trainer, and shoot water guns at targets with deadly accuracy.

They were even taught to carry knives in their mouths, presumably in preparation for stealth missions behind enemy lines, where the sound of gunfire would attract too much attention.

They certainly seem to be more than a match for the US's bomb disposal dolphins, who are trained to sniff out mines that could present a danger to US Navy ships.

The seals, clearly trained in combat, would presumably make light work of the peace-loving mine detecting dolphins.

There is no word whether Ukraine's dolphin force will be receiving the same training - Russian forces reported that they had "taken control" of Ukraine's secretive military dolphin programme after they occupied Crimea last year.

Winnie the Pooh and Laksa, two of Siberia's most deadly seals (WebTV51)

The seals have adapted well to military life, having previously been trained to perform more conventional seal tricks, such as balancing balls and jumping through hoops.

Speaking to The Siberian Times, their trainer Evgeniy Baranov, who is also founder of the world's first seal circus, said: "The new show is a logical development of the tricks that our seals learned earlier. With every rehearsal they get better and better."

Winnie the Pooh and Laska are Baikal seals, a species endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia.

Events and parades have been held throughout Russia to commemorate the USSR's victory against the Nazis in the Second World War, or The Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia.

The main event was a huge military show in Moscow yesterday, which saw thousands of troops, accompanied by tanks and aircraft, pass through Moscow's Red Square - a parade that most Western leaders did not attend, due to Russia's presence in Ukraine.