Russia's Mysterious Spy Whale Hvaldimir Dies of Infection

The beluga whale Hvaldimir, who reportedly have been trained by the Russian Navy for reconnaissance, has been confirmed to have died from an infection.

Fishermen discovered Hvaldimir in April 2019 in Finnmark, northern Norway, with a GoPro camera attached and a harness labeled "Equipment St. Petersburg." The Arctic University of Norway suggested that Hvaldimir could have been utilized by the Russian Navy, possibly in Murmansk.

Speculation about his training as a spy for Russia resulted in him being nicknamed Hvaldimir, a blend of the Norwegian word "hval" (whale) and the name "Vladimir," in reference to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. By 2023, Hvaldimir's range seemed to have extended to the southwestern coastline of Sweden.

At the end of August 2024, Hvaldimir was found dead. Animal rights activists claimed that gunshot wounds were found on the body of the deceased whale and called for an investigation into the animal's death, which included an autopsy.

However, experts at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute determined that the likely cause of Hvaldimir’s death was a bacterial infection, potentially resulting from an injury in his mouth caused by a lodged stick. This conclusion was reached following an autopsy, as reported by the Norwegian police.

The wounds on his body, initially thought by animal rights activists to be gunshot wounds, had ragged edges. The Veterinary Institute speculated that these injuries were caused by birds pecking at the carcass of the dead whale.

Moscow has never made any official response to allegations the whale could be a "Russian spy."