Beluga whale accused of spying for Russia found dead off the coast of Norway

“When our team arrived, they found Hvaldimir floating peacefully in the water,” the organization wrote in a social media post. “The cause of death is not yet clear, an autopsy will be performed to determine his untimely death.”

Hvaldimir, whose name is a play on the Norwegian word for “whale” and the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin, first attracted attention in 2019 when he surfaced off the northern coast of Norway wearing a harness with a Go-Pro.

Several clips on the belt were labeled “Equipment St. Petersburg,” fueling the theory that Hvaldimir was trained by the Russian military.

Russia has a long tradition of training marine animals such as dolphins and beluga whales. This practice dates back to the Soviet Union and continues to this day. The US Navy has also trained dolphins to clear mines and defend themselves against divers.

Marine Mind, which has been primarily caring for Hvaldimir since his appearance, said it knew little about the beluga whale's past and could not confirm whether he had ever been captured by Russia.

“Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals,” the organization's website said. “Based on these observations, it appeared that Hvaldimir had arrived in Norway from Russian waters, where he was presumably being held captive.”

But if Hvaldimir was trained by the Kremlin, he appears to have defected and traveled south toward Norway's more densely populated regions over the past four years.

He quickly rose to fame when videos emerged of him gently interacting with humans, raising his head out of the water to greet residents and bringing them gifts in his mouth. In late 2019, he was filmed retrieving a rugby ball.

Marine Mind said that after his emergence, Hvaldimir was found several times with scars from accidental boat collisions, but that he was a resilient animal that adapted to life with humans.

His death was a shock for the team, they told local broadcaster NRK.

Hvaldimir's age was estimated to be about 15 years old, and beluga whales can live up to 60 years in the wild.

A local resident, Dag Anfindsen, told NRK that he discovered Hvaldimir in healthy condition just one day before his death, when he watched the whale diving and swimming for several minutes.

Marine Mind and the Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment, sent outside regular business hours.

Hvaldimir's death occurred against the backdrop of growing tensions in the already frosty relationship between Norway and Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

Norway is an active member of NATO, which has intensified its exercises and maneuvers in the region to prepare for an increased risk of war with Russia.

US allies in northeastern Europe, particularly the Nordic and Baltic states, have been vocal in their support for standing up to Russia and strengthening their defense industries. In April, Oslo announced it would nearly double its defense budget by $56 billion.