Beluga whale suspected of spying for Russia dies off Norwegian coast

A Beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, which was suspected of being trained to conduct espionage for Russia, was found dead off the coast of Norway on Aug. 31.

Hvaldimir, whose name stems from a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, "hval," and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was first discovered in Norwegian waters in 2019 wearing a harness-mounted camera with the words "equipment of St. Petersburg."

Russia has never acknowledged that Hvaldimir, who became a local celebrity, may have been used to spy on Norway or other countries in the area.

After Hvaldimir was discovered dead in the water, its body was moved to a nearby harbor for further investigation into the cause of death.

The whale was just around 15 years old when it died, far short of the 60-year life span that Beluga whales can reach. Prior to its death, Hvaldimir was "healthy and had no sign of illness," said a volunteer from a local wildlife conservation organization, prompting some to believe the whale was struck by a boat.

There is a long history of training marine mammals for military purposes, which dates back to the 1950s and was practiced by both the Soviet Union and the U.S. According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russia has deployed military-trained dolphins to help protect the entrance to its naval base in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea.

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Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to “The Counteroffensive,” click here. In a country at war, death is all around. But Pavel…

The Kyiv IndependentAlessandra Hay