A beluga whale believed to have been trained by Russia for espionage has been found deceased off Norway’s coast. The whale, named Hvaldimir, was discovered floating near the town of Risavika in the southwest. The remains were retrieved and taken to a nearby port for further investigation.
Five years ago, Hvaldimir gained attention when he was first seen in Norwegian waters wearing a GoPro camera attached to a harness labeled “Equipment of St Petersburg”. This led to widespread speculation that the whale might be a spy, as similar cases have been reported in the past. However, Russia has never addressed these claims.
Marine Mind, an organization that has monitored Hvaldimir’s movements over the years, found the whale’s body recently. According to Sebastian Strand, the founder of Marine Mind, the cause of death is still unknown, but no visible injuries were found on the whale. The body is now being stored in a cool place, awaiting a necropsy by a veterinary institute.
At about 15 years old, Hvaldimir was still young for a beluga whale, which can live up to 60 years. He first approached Norwegian boats in April 2019 near Ingoya Island, much further south than belugas are typically found. This unusual behavior led Norway’s domestic intelligence agency to suspect that the whale had been trained by the Russian military, given how comfortable it seemed around people.
The whale became locally known as Hvaldimir, a blend of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has a history of training marine animals like dolphins for military purposes, and there are known whale pens near naval bases in Murmansk. Despite the speculation, Russia has never officially confirmed or denied whether Hvaldimir was part of such a program.
