A white beluga whale believed to be a former Russian spy has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.
Norway’s public broadcaster NRK reported the whale’s carcass was found in Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday, August 31 by a dad and son on a fishing trip.
The animal was first spotted by fishermen near the Norwegian island of Ingoya, close to Russian waters in 2019.
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It was wearing a harness and what looked like camera apparatus marked with ‘Equipment St Petersburg’, which sparked suggestions the beluga was one of Putin’s whales trained for trained combat.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Named Hvaldimir, play on the Norwegian word for whale ‘Hval’ and Vladimir Putin, by the Norwegians, his movements for the past three years have been monitored by Norwegian not-for-profit Marine Mind.
Marine biologist Sebastian Strand said: “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea.”
He added that the cause of death is not “immediately clear”, noting there were no visible major external injuries.
Strand has been responsible for monitoring Hvaldimir, and said he has been affected by the whale’s sudden death.
He said: “It’s absolutely horrible. He was apparently in good condition as of Friday. We just have to figure out what might have happened here.”
Beluga had been spotted in several Norwegian costal towns, revealing himself to be tame and playful.
The Marine Mind website said Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals.
(Image: Getty Images)
The organisation believes Hvaldimir travelled to Norway from Russian waters, where they assume the animal was held in captivity. It was estimated he was between 12 and 20 yeas old and weighed 2,700lbs (1225kg).
Russia has long been accused of using whales and dolphins for military purposes, with claims dating back to the Cold War. It’s thought Putin deployed a squad of combat dolphins in the early days of his invasion of Ukraine.
Armys of dolphins and whales are used to detect mines, help detect lost equipment on the sea bed, and to act as underwater ‘guard dogs’ against attack.
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