‘Russian spy’ whale found dead off the coast of Norway

‘Hvaldimir’ was first spotted in 2019 in a harness suitable for mounting a camera, prompting speculation whale was trained by Russian navy

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On Sunday, an NGO that tracks his movements said
the whale, nicknamed “Hvaldimir” had been found dead. Photo: Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AFP

Published: 12:43am, 2 Sep 2024Updated: 9:35am, 2 Sep 2024

A beluga whale whose strange harness sparked suspicions it was trained by Russia for spying purposes has been found dead in Norway, according to an NGO which tracks his movements.

Nicknamed “Hvaldimir” in a pun on the Norwegian word for whale, hval, and its purported ties to Moscow, the beluga first appeared off the coast in Norway’s far-northern Finnmark region in 2019.

At the time, Norwegian marine biologists removed an attached man-made harness with a mount suited for an action camera and the words “Equipment St Petersburg” printed on the plastic clasps.

Norwegian officials said Hvaldimir may have escaped an enclosure and may have been trained by the Russian navy as he appeared to be accustomed to humans.

I found Hvaldi dead when I was scouting for him yesterday like usual. We had confirmation of him being alive little more than 24 hours before finding him floating motionlessly

Sebastian Strand, founder of Marine Mind

Moscow has never issued any official reaction to speculation that he could be a “Russian spy”.

On Saturday, the beluga’s lifeless body was discovered off the southwest coast at Risavika by Marine Mind, an organisation that has tracked his movements for years.