Russia, Norway:Hvaldimir, a beluga whale estimated to be 15 years old, was found dead off the coast of Norway. This age is relatively young for a beluga, which can live up to 60 years.

Known by the nickname Hvaldimir—derived from the Norwegian word for whale, "hval," and a nod to Russian President Vladimir Putin—the whale had previously been suspected of being a Russian spy. It was first noticed in Norwegian waters five years ago with a GoPro camera attached to a harness marked “Equipment of St Petersburg.”

On Saturday, Hvaldimir's carcass was discovered floating in Risavika Bay in southern Norway by a father and son fishing in the area. Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale was retrieved by crane and taken to a nearby harbor for a cause-of-death investigation.

Marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who had monitored Hvaldimir’s movements for the past three years through the NGO Marine Mind, stated that the whale was in good condition as of Friday. “It’s absolutely horrible,” Strand commented, expressing concern over the suddenness of its death.

Hvaldimir had been first observed in April 2019 near Norway’s Ingoya island, about 300 km from Russia’s maritime border. Its interest in humans and response to hand signals led Norway’s intelligence agency to believe it had previously been held in captivity as part of a research program before reaching Norwegian waters.

Marine Mind noted that it seemed Hvaldimir had traveled from Russian waters to Norway, where it had been held in captivity. The whale was later seen off Sweden’s coast in May, having traveled several hundred kilometers from its previous location.

The Barents Observer, a Norwegian news outlet, suggested that whale pens near Russian naval bases in the Murmansk region might indicate that Russia trained marine mammals for military purposes. However, Russia has not addressed these allegations.