‘Russian spy’ whale found dead in Norway

STOCKHOLM: 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.

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.

“I found Hvaldi dead when I was scouting for him yesterday like usual,” Marine Mind´s founder Sebastian Strand told AFP.

“We had confirmation of him being alive little more than 24 hours before finding him floating motionlessly,” he added.