Hvaldimir, the beluga whale believed to be a Russian spy, has died

The beluga whale named Hvaldimir, found off the coast of Norway in 2019 ., who is suspected of being trained by the Russian intelligence services for espionage, was found dead, reports NRK, quoted by varna24.bg.

Hvaldimir was discovered near Oslofjord, a fjord in southeastern Norway.

Biologist Sebastian Strand, who has cared for the beluga in recent years, reported that the animal's body showed no signs of trauma, but it was taken for further examination.

In 2019, near the northern Norwegian province of Finnmark, fishermen spotted a beluga whale. Local residents and authorities take care of him. The animal was spotted with a leash and a camera that Norwegian intelligence discovered had been installed for espionage purposes.

Khvaldimir (a portmanteau of the Norwegian word hval for "whale" and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin) is believed to have been part of a Russian research program to use whales for maritime espionage.

Moscow has never issued an official response to Norway's suggestion that the beluga whale was a Russian spy.

The Barents Sea, where Khvaldimir was located, is a strategic geopolitical zone where the movement of Western and Russian submarines is monitored. It is also the gateway to the Northern Passage, which shortens sea voyages between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The whale quickly became an international celebrity and attracted international media attention. All the while, biologists have been considering what to do with the beluga, which has long been out of its natural habitat.

At the end of July, it was decided that Hvaldimir would be forcibly moved from western Norway to a fjord in eastern Finnmark to integrate with other beluga whales.