Mysterious 'Russian Spy' Whale Hvaldimir Found Dead in Norway, Sparks International Speculation

The white beluga whale Hvaldimir, who was rumored to be a “ Russian spy,” has recently turned up dead in the waters off the shores of Southern Norway .

Knewz.com has learned that the “spy whale” was named “Hvaldimir” by combining the words “Hval” – the Norwegian word for whale – and the name of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin .

A father and son spotted Hvaldimir’s body while fishing in the ocean at Risavika Bay in southern Norway on August 31.

The 14-foot-long white beluga whale first showed up near the northern island of Ingøya in Norway in April 2019.

It was first spotted by a group of fishermen, who noticed that the whale was wearing a harness and a buckle with a text on it that read “Equipment St. Petersburg .”

The beluga whale was also seen wearing what appeared to be a mount for a camera, sparking rumors that suggested that Hvaldimir was actually a “Russian spy .”

The Norwegian non-profit organization Marine Mind, which had been monitoring Hvaldimir ever since its arrival, noticed that the beluga whale was “very interested” in people and could respond to hand signals.

“Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” Marine Mind wrote about the “Russian spy” whale.

“We don’t know what his life in captivity involved, but there have been a number of different scenarios proposed, from him being the therapy whale named “Semyon,” to his life in the military under Russian control.”

“When looking at the latter and adding observations of a camera mount on his harness, the idea was proposed in the media that Hvaldimir may have been a ‘Russian Spy,'” the organization further wrote.

It has been reported that the Russian Navy allegedly trains whales for military purposes.

Marine Mind further mentioned that shortly after it arrived in Norway, the beluga whale became an almost semi-permanent resident of the town of Hammerfest in northern Norway, near the Arctic Circle, for around three months.

“During this time, he was observed in poor condition and attempts were made to manage his care through provisioning (feeding) by Norwegian Orca Survey. After some time monitoring his condition and feeding behaviors, it was noted that Hvaldimir hunted and found available prey on his own,” the nonprofit organization mentioned.

The organization further mentioned that the beloved whale left the town of Hammerfest in July 2019 and headed southbound along the Norwegian coastline.

“Although he has been documented feeding entirely on his own, Hvaldimir has continued to actively seek out human presence and aquaculture activities, spending a majority of his time at fish farm facilities,” Marine Mind wrote .

The adventures of the “Russian spy” whale were monitored by marine biologist Sebastian Strand on behalf of Marine Mind for a period of three years. As a result, Strand expressed that he was heartbroken at the death of the adored marine creature.

“Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” Strand said in a statement .

As of now, the circumstances surrounding Hvaldimir’s death are unknown, as Strand mentioned that the whale was reportedly “in good condition” even a day before he turned up dead.

“It’s absolutely horrible,” the marine biologist commented on the loss.