Hvaldimir, a white beluga whale suspected of being a Russian intelligence asset, was discovered dead in Norway in 2022. The cause of his death remains unknown, and no significant external injuries were reported.
Hvaldimir first gained attention in 2019 when he was spotted near Russian waters wearing a harness with "Equipment St. Petersburg" inscribed on it, sparking speculation that he was a "spy whale" trained by the Russian military for surveillance purposes.
Russia has denied training sea mammals as spies.
Hvaldimir was known for his friendly and sociable behavior with humans, and his story was used to promote marine conservation efforts. Organizations were working to relocate him to open waters near a wild beluga pod to provide him with a better living environment.
The investigation suggested that Hvaldimir might have been tamed by the Russian military, although Russia has not commented on the speculations. It is worth noting that the Pentagon also has a history of recruiting sea mammals for military purposes.
Beluga whales typically inhabit icy waters around Greenland, northern Norway, and Russia. However, Hvaldimir was found in the Barents Sea, a crucial area for monitoring submarine movements, fueling speculations about Russia using trained dolphins for naval fleet protection.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Washington Post, Newsweek, Business Insider, BBC, CNN, CBS News, New York Post, Dagbladet, Al Jazeera, ETtoday, Yahoo, CNA, Asharq, Al Arabiya, The Nation