Russian spy whale found dead off Norway was defending Kremlin property in the Arctic, documentary claims

A white beluga whale suspected of being a Russian spy that was found dead off the coast of Norway may have been guarding Kremlin property, a new documentary has claimed.

Nicknamed Hvaldimir – combining the Norwegian word for whale, hval, and Vladimir Putin’s first name – the body of the whale was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway in September.

The 14ft whale was first spotted by fishermen near the northern island of Ingoya in April 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with the text: ‘Equipment St Petersburg.’

That sparked allegations that the beluga was a ‘spy whale’ but the answers to the mystery of his true identity and covert missions may have been unearthed in a new BBC documentary, Secrets of the Spy Whale.

After 10 months of investigations into the secret underwater agent, makers of the documentary found evidence that suggested he may have been trained as a covert ‘guard whale’ rather than being sent out to sea to carry out maritime espionage.

When Hvaldimir was found he was wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with the text: ‘Equipment St Petersburg.’ 

Nicknamed Hvaldimir – combining the Norweigan word for whale and Vladimir Putin – the body of whale was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway in September

‘Our latest findings about the potential role that Hvaldimir had been trained to do brings us closer to solving the mystery, but they also prompt many further questions about what Russia might be seeking to guard in the Arctic, and why,’ Jennifer Shaw, director of the film told The Observer.

As Shaw and her team looked into the mystery, they met with one of the last remaining veterans of an early US Navy programme and former dolphin trainer who explained the advantages of using such creatures as guards.

Blair Irvine told the newspaper that bubbles are created from the movements of swimmers, which in turn create noise.

As a dolphin’s hearing is so sensitive, it was a foolproof method to catching intruders – and the Soviet Union quickly launched its own programme using similar techniques.

A phalanx of dolphins were allegedly used to guard the Black Sea fleet in Crimea, and while kept in floating cages, they were trained to give a signal if any underwater intruders were approaching.

Shaw also revealed to the newspaper that it was clear Hvaldimir was trained in a similar way, as she had witnessed him placing his nose on anything that appeared to be a target.

This suggested to her that the beluga had shown signs of being recruited as part of a security patrol – rather than a spy.

Hvaldimir was found dead on September 1, and at the time of death animal rights groups claimed he has been shot.

Hvaldimir, a white beluga whale who was first spotted near Russian waters wearing a harness and ignited rumours he may be a Moscow spy, was found dead in September

The 14ft whale was first spotted by fishermen near the northern island of Ingoya, not far from the Arctic city of Hammerfest, in April 2019 

But a forensic examination carried out just a week later concluded that human activity did not directly lead to the death of the animal, which had died after a stick became lodged in its mouth.

An autopsy showed the 35cm in length and 3cm wide stick was stuck in the animal’s mouth, and police said Hvaldimir had also sustained some ‘completely superficial’ injuries, adding ‘there was no evidence suggesting that Hvaldimir was shot’.

‘There is nothing in the investigations that have been carried out to establish that it is human activity that has directly led to Hvaldimir’s death,’ police said.

Over the years, the beluga was seen in several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became clear that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said at the time of his death.

Marine Mind said on its site that Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals.

‘Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,’ it said.