Beloved Russian celebrity 'spy' whale is found dead off Norway

Hvaldimir, a white beluga whale that was rumored to be a Russian spy, has been found dead in waters off Norway.

For a supposed spy, Hvaldimir was anything but covert.

The white beluga whale had appeared regularly along the coast of Norway since it was first spotted in the country’s north in April 2019, wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera. Together with a buckle that read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” that prompted speculation that it was an escaped “spy whale” that had been trained for military purposes in neighboring Russia.

The whale seemed to love being around people and quickly captivated local residents, who came up with the name Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The 14-foot, 2,700-pound whale was found dead Saturday in the harbor of Stavanger, a city in southwestern Norway, after having resided in the area since last year, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said in a statement Monday.

Marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who had tracked Hvaldimir’s adventures for the nonprofit organization Marine Mind, said that he discovered the whale while he was out scouting for it and that he was “heartbroken.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/beloved-russian-celebrity-spy-whale-found-dead-norway-rcna169187

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