A beluga whale named Hvaldimir, suspected of being used for espionage by Russia after being discovered in Norwegian waters in 2019, has been found dead.
Hvaldimir, whose name combines the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name, was spotted floating in the sea by fishermen in southern Norway over the weekend. The whale, initially found in 2019 near Ingoya Island with a harness marked “Equipment St Petersburg,” had shown signs of being trained to interact with people, suggesting possible Russian captivity, leading to speculation about its use in a Russian research program before ending up in Norway.
Marine Mind NGO, which had been monitoring Hvaldimir, described the whale as a symbol of human-nature connection and expressed sorrow over its death. The cause of death is unclear as no major injuries were visible. Russia has not commented on the allegations surrounding Hvaldimir.
