Beluga whale alleged to have been Russian spy found dead off coast of Norway
A white beluga whale who is believed to have been a spy for Russia has been found dead off the Norwegian coast.
Hvaldimir the whale was discovered wearing a harness with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera when he was first found in 2019 near the island of Ingoya in Norway's north, around 300km (190 miles) from the Russian maritime border.
The harness strap was stamped "Equipment St Petersburg" written in English, which prompted speculation that he might have escaped from a Russian military facility.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said the beluga was first reported dead by a father and son who were fishing in Risavika Bay in southern Norway.
He had been nicknamed Hvaldimir – a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin's first name.
Marine Mind, a Norwegian non-profit organisation, had been tracking his movements for years.
It said: "Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale. He was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world."
The whale was interested in people and responded to hand signals, leading Norway's domestic intelligence agency to presume he had been held in captivity in Russia as part of a research programme before crossing into Norwegian waters.
Moscow has never responded to the allegations about Hvaldimir being a spy.
Beluga whales generally live between 40 and 60 years. Several media outlets estimated Hvaldimir to have been around 15 years old.
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