Animal soldier Is this beluga whale a spy for Putin? Documentary provides new details
The beluga whale Hvaldimir has long been suspected of conducting maritime espionage for Russia. This suspicion has never been proven. Now a documentary provides new evidence.
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- The beluga whale Hvladimir attracted international attention when it surfaced off the coast of Norway five years ago, equipped with surveillance technology.
- Since then, experts have suspected that the marine mammal had been trained by the Russian military.
- A documentary now provides new evidence.
The beluga whale Hvladimir first appeared off the coast of Norway five years ago - equipped with hidden surveillance technology. Since then, the whale has regularly made headlines in the international media. The reason: for a long time, intelligence experts were unable to clarify its origin and mission.
However, the suspicion that Russia could be behind the animal spy has persisted. Now a BBC documentary has provided new evidence that confirms the suspicion.
Olga Shpak, who researched marine mammals in Russia until 2022 before returning to her native Ukraine, says in the documentary "Secrets of the Spy Whale" that she is "100 percent sure" that the whale escaped from a Russian naval base in the Arctic Ocean. Her information is based on conversations with friends and former colleagues in Russia.
However, she suspects that Hvladimir is not a spy. He had been trained to guard the base.
Long visit to Norwegian port
The whale first attracted attention when it approached fishermen off the Norwegian coast. Joar Hesten, one of the fishermen, reported that the whale snuggled up to the boat and was obviously looking for help. It was noticeable that the whale was wearing a harness with a mount for a camera and the words "Equipment St Petersburg" on it. After the harness was removed, the whale swam into Hammerfest harbor, where it remained for several months.
Hvaldimir, who had difficulty catching fish on his own, charmed visitors by nudging cameras and even returning a lost cell phone. Researcher Eve Jourdain of the Norwegian Orca Survey noted that the whale was trained to point its nose at anything that looked like a target. However, the exact circumstances of its training remain unclear.
Olga Shpak suspects that the whale, which was originally caught in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2013, was transferred to a military program in the Russian Arctic in 2014. There it was cared for by its trainers and veterinarians. She believes that when the whale was being trained in open waters, it took the opportunity to escape.
Kremlin remains silent on allegations
Satellite images from the Russian naval base in Murmansk show enclosures in the water that may have been Hvaldimir's former home. Thomas Nilsen from the Norwegian newspaper The Barents Observer suspects that the whales were part of a surveillance system. Russia has never officially commented on the allegations that Hvaldimir was trained by the military, although it has a long history of training marine mammals for military purposes.
The former Soviet submarine commander Volodymyr Belousiuk now confirms in the documentary that a corresponding training program for whales did exist.
However, Hvaldimir's story ended tragically. After learning to feed himself, he traveled along the Norwegian coast and was even spotted off the Swedish coast in May 2023. However, on September 1, 2024, its body was found off the coast of Risavika in Norway. Despite speculation that the whale had been shot, the Norwegian police investigation revealed that a bacterial infection was the cause of death.
This article was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). All content created by AI is verified by the editorial team.