Russian ‘spy whale’ Hvaldimir found dead in Norway

A white beluga whale with a harness that sparked rumours it may be a Moscow spy has been found dead.

Its body was discovered floating in the Risavika Bay in Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing.

The beluga, named Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and Russian President Putin’s first name Vladimir, was taken to a harbour to be examined by experts.

Sebastian Strand, from wildlife watchdog Marine Mind, said: “It’s absolutely horrible. He was apparently in good condition on Friday.”

“He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” he said.

No major external injuries were visible on the animal.

The 14ft whale was first spotted near Ingoya in 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked ‘Equipment St Petersburg.’

This sparked fears that it was “a spy whale”.

Experts said the Russian navy was known to have trained whales for military purposes and it appeared as if Hvaldimir had crossed into Norway from Russian waters, NRK reported.

Over the years, the beluga was seen in several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became clear that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said.

“Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” it said.

Norwegian media have speculated whether Hvaldimir could have been used as “a therapy whale” of some sort in Russia.