Dead dolphin suspected as 'Russian spy' roaming Northern Europe found in Norwegian sea

First Appeared in the Nordic Sea in 2019
Found Wearing Suspicious Equipment on Body at Time of Discovery

A beluga whale, suspected of being a 'Russian spy' after appearing in the Nordic seas with suspicious equipment attached, was found dead in the Norwegian sea. On the 31st of last month (local time), The New York Times and Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported, citing the nonprofit environmental conservation group 'Marine Mind,' that 'Valdimir,' known as the Russian spy whale, was found dead near the coast of Risavika in southwestern Norway.

In April 2019, a beluga whale appeared on the coast of Norway wearing a camera belt with the phrase "Sankt Peterburg Equipment" written on its body.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

The whale named 'Valdimir' was first discovered in April 2019 in the Finnmark region of northern Norway. At the time of discovery, the whale was wearing an underwater camera belt inscribed with the words 'Saint Petersburg Equipment.' The whale appeared to be scouting around vessels operating nearby and showed no fear of humans.

Experts analyzed the presence of the camera belt on the whale and concluded that it was highly likely a whale trained for 'military use' in Russia. Viktor Baranets, a former Russian naval colonel, speculated that the whale might have escaped from the Russian navy. Martin Biuw, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, assessed, "It appears to be a trained animal, as it searches ships very naturally."

Subsequently, Norwegian authorities removed the devices from the beluga's body and tracked its movement to protect the whale. An American filmmaker residing in Norway even established a nonprofit organization aimed at protecting the whale. Norwegian citizens nicknamed the beluga 'Valdimir' (Hvaldimir), combining the Norwegian word for whale (Hval) with the Russian-style suffix ‘~dimir.’ Loved by Norwegians, Valdimir moved southward along the northern coast of Norway for over three years and appeared off the coast of Sweden in May last year. At that time, its body length was estimated to be about 4 meters, and its weight about 1,200 kg.

An American film director living in Norway also established a nonprofit organization aimed at whale conservation. Norwegian citizens nicknamed the beluga "Valdimir" (Hvaldimir). This combines the Norwegian word for whale (Hval) with the Russian-style name ending "~dimir."
[Photo by Instagram]

However, Russia has not issued any statements regarding Valdimir so far. Over the past five years, Valdimir was frequently spotted along the coasts of Norway and Sweden. It showed interest in people and responded to hand signals, displaying behavior that suggested it was accustomed to human interaction.

Then, on the 31st of last month, Sebastian Strand, founder of 'Marine Mind,' established to protect whales like Valdimir, said, "I heard around 2:30 p.m. that the whale's carcass was floating, so I set out by boat, but it was already dead." He added, "It seemed healthy as of the 30th of last month, so I don't know what happened. My heart aches." The organization retrieved the whale's body from the water around 3:15 p.m. that day and moved it to an autopsy facility to determine the cause of death.

Meanwhile, Russia has operated a so-called 'combat dolphin unit' since the Soviet era in the 1970s. Although this program officially ended in the 1990s amid animal abuse controversies, it was later revealed through media reports that the unit continued to operate secretly. The British Guardian reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense purchased bottlenose dolphins aged 3 to 5 from the Utrish Dolphinarium in Moscow in 2016 and also acquired five dolphins in 2015. Animals used as military weapons are not limited to whales. During World War I in 1941, German forces used pigeons equipped with cameras for reconnaissance purposes.