Beluga Whale Dubbed a Russian 'Spy' Found Dead: Details

A beluga whale named Hvaldimir, believed by some to have been a Russian spy, has been found dead near the shores of Norway. CNN reports that the discovery was made by a father and son fishing in the Risavika fjord in southern Norway on August 31.

The body of Hvaldimir was lifted from the sea using a crane and transported to a nearby port for examination by specialists. Marine biologist Sebastian Strand informed the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that the cause of the whale's death remains unknown, as there are no visible injuries on its body.

Strand had been monitoring Hvaldimir for the past three years, noting that the whale was 4.2 meters long and weighed 1,225 kilograms. The beluga was first spotted in northern Norway, near the town of Hammerfest, in April 2019. It was wearing a harness equipped with a camera, which bore a logo from a company registered in Saint Petersburg, leading to speculation that the whale was indeed a spy.

The name Hvaldimir derives from the Norwegian word 'hval,' meaning 'whale,' combined with a segment of Russian President Vladimir Putin's name. According to experts, Russia's military has been known to train marine mammals for military purposes.