The famous Russian whale "spy" died off the coast of Norway: what is known about him. Photo

On Saturday, August 31, a beluga whale named Hvaldimir, who was called a "spy" whale from Russia, was found dead off the coast of Norway. He died unexpectedly, as he was in good condition the day before.

This was reported by the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The whale was lifted out of the water with a crane in the harbor of Risavik in the municipality of Sola.

Marine biologist from Marine Mind Sebastian Strand says that the cause of Hvaldimir's death is currently unknown. No major external injuries were found on the body.

"It looks like there are mostly external injuries from birds and so on. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the carcass is properly cared for so that we can do an autopsy and find answers," Strand said.

He worked with Hvaldimir for three years and was deeply affected by the whale's sudden death.

"I am devastated and cried a lot. We've been afraid of this for years," said Regina Crosby Haug of One Whale.

She had been working for a long time to get Hvaldimir moved north. Initially, they were not allowed to transport him to Svalbard, but in July the Fisheries Directorate approved the transportation of the whale to Varangerfjord in Finnmark. However, several researchers, including Sebastian Strand, were critical of this decision.

One Whale documented Khvaldimir's movements for several years and conducted annual veterinary checks. "He was a healthy young whale with no signs of illness. I really hope that this is not due to human activity," Haug said.

What is known about Hvaldimir and where did he come from

In 2019, local fishermen in Norway discovered a beluga whale with a video camera attached to it with straps. Norwegian experts suggested that this beluga whale had been trained by Russian naval specialists to be used as a special forces.

On the belt buckle of the marine animal was written in Latin Equipment St. Petersburg.

There was also a version that Khvaldimir was a therapeutic whale and escaped from the Russians on his own.

He got his name from a combination of the Norwegian word hval (whale) and the name of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. In 2022, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the whale was called Hvaldi to avoid associations with the Kremlin leader.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, the Ukrainian National Antarctic Research Center filmed humpback whales spyhopping in the ocean. This is the name given to the behavior of these marine mammals when they raise their heads and eyes above the water surface to assess the situation.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!