A beluga whale, believed by some to have been trained as a Russian spy, was found dead off Norway’s southwestern coast near Risavika. The whale, affectionately named Hvaldimir, had been closely monitored since 2019 when he was first spotted with a harness labeled “Equipment of St Petersburg,” fueling speculation about his possible espionage role. Russia never commented on these allegations.
Hvaldimir’s body was discovered over the weekend by Marine Mind, an organization that had been tracking him for years. Despite no visible injuries, the cause of death remains unclear, pending a necropsy by the veterinary institute. Marine Mind’s founder, Sebastian Strand, confirmed the retrieval and cooling of the remains for examination.
At around 15 years old, Hvaldimir was still relatively young for a beluga, which can live up to 60 years. His initial approach to Norwegian boats in 2019 near Ingoya, close to Russia’s Northern Fleet, raised eyebrows, as belugas are seldom seen this far south.
This unusual encounter led Norway’s domestic intelligence to investigate, concluding that Hvaldimir might have been trained by the Russian military due to his familiarity with humans. Locally, he was dubbed Hvaldimir, a playful nod combining the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” with President Vladimir Putin’s name.
While Russia has a history of using marine mammals for military tasks, including dolphins, it has never officially addressed the claim that Hvaldimir was part of such a program, consistently denying involvement in any marine espionage initiatives.
