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Suspected Russian Spy Whale Found Dead
A beautiful sea mammal that came to notoriety some years ago was recently found mysteriously dead
When we think of espionage, immaculate evening wear, devilish accents and an impossible ability to thwart opponents all come to mind. However, secret agents aren’t always even human. Animals have sometimes been deployed to infiltrate where humans can’t. This may include a beluga whale, which previously faced legitimate accusations of being a Russian operative, and was sadly just discovered dead.
In 2019, Norwegian fishermen came across a friendly white beluga whale which was wearing a harness labeled “Equipment St. Petersburg”. This unusual sight in the water immediately fueled speculation about the whale’s origins and how it came to be harnessed. Given the reputation of Russia for spying, it was quickly nicknamed “Hvaldimir” — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hvaldimir was estimated to be approximately 10–12 years old at the time of his discovery. Since his harness had the capability of holding a camera, there was widespread speculation that he could have been made into a Russian intelligence asset.
