A beluga whale suspected of spying for Russia has been found dead off the Norwegian coast, according to the non-profit organisation that had been monitoring the mammal.
The body of Hvaldimir – whose moniker is a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin – was spotted in the sea by a father and son fishing over the weekend, local media said.
Staff from Marine Mind, an NGO with headquarters in Norway, responded to the sighting and found Hvaldimir “floating peacefully in the water, no longer with us”.
They said in a post on social media: “Hvaldimir bridged the gap between humans and wild animals in a way that few can.
“He was special to so many, leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege to encounter him.”
Hvaldimir first hit headlines in 2019, when he was discovered swimming near the north Norway island of …