Beluga whale allegedly a Russian ‘spy’ found dead in Norway | Norway

A beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir has been found dead. He was first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters wearing a harness that sparked rumors he might be a spy for Moscow.

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale's carcass was found floating in Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son while fishing.

The Beluga, whose nickname is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale – hval – and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin was lifted out of the water by crane and taken to a nearby port where it will be examined by experts.

Marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK: “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He died, but the cause of death is not yet clear.” He added that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.

Strand, who has been following Hvaldimir's adventures for the past three years on behalf of the Norway-based nonprofit Marine Mind, said the whale's sudden death had left him deeply shocked.

“It's absolutely terrible,” Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition when [Friday]so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.”

The 4.2-meter-long, 1,225-kilogram whale was first spotted by fishermen near the northern island of Ingøya, not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest, in April 2019. It was wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera, as well as a buckle that read “Equipment St. Petersburg.”

This sparked accusations that the beluga was a “spy whale.” According to experts, the Russian Navy is known to train whales for military purposes.

Over the years, the beluga was spotted in the waters off several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became clear that it was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said.

Marine Mind stated on its website that Hvaldimir was very interested in humans and responded to hand signals. “Based on these observations, it appeared that Hvaldimir had arrived in Norway from Russian waters, where he was presumably held captive,” it said.

Because of this behavior, Norwegian media also speculated that Hvaldimir may have been used as a kind of “therapy whale” in Russia.