The famous “Russian whale spy” nicknamed Hvaldimir died off the coast of Norway
The body of a beluga whale was found on the afternoon of August 31 off the coast of the Norwegian province of Rogaland. No serious injuries were found upon examination of the body.
The whale was first spotted in Norway on April 26, 2019, north of Hammerfest. The animal was in a harness suitable for installing an action camera. It had the logo of the Russian company “Equipment” and the inscription Equipment St. Petersburg (“Equipment St. Petersburg”). All this has given rise to speculation that the whale is a “Russian spy.”
The Norwegian Fisheries Directorate believes that the whale was kept in captivity for some time: it behaved as if it was used to people, was not afraid to swim up to them, took treats from their hands, played, and allowed itself to be stroked.
At the same time, the department stated that it could indeed have been trained by the Russian military, so the whale “almost certainly was a Russian military serviceman.”
