Summary

In 2019, a beluga whale wearing a “Equipment St Petersburg” harness appeared off Norway, sparking rumors of it being a Russian “spy whale.”

Nicknamed Hvaldimir, the social whale showed signs of prior training. Dr. Olga Shpak, a marine expert, believes Hvaldimir—formerly called Andruha—likely escaped from a Russian Arctic military base where it was trained to guard, not spy.

In September 2024, Hvaldimir was found dead, apparently from a stick lodged in its body.

  • Flying SquidM
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    308 days ago

    Then on September 1 2024 its body was found floating at sea, near the town of Risavika, on Norway’s south-western coast.

    Had the long arm of Putin’s Russia caught up with the reluctant beluga?

    I’m glad the BBC decided to close their article with a bit of humor about the tragic death of a poor abused animal who had a very short taste of freedom. Many guffaws are assumed to have occurred.

    • @[email protected]
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      128 days ago

      The entire joke is about people repeatedly being targeted and killed by Russia. It’s generally a dark joke.

      • Flying SquidM
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        -18 days ago

        I understand the joke. I just thought it was in incredibly poor taste in this context.