Beluga whale was Russian military asset - but no spy
www.bbc.com
Marine scientist uncovers the story behind Andruha's escape from Russian military training programme.

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 SquidMEnglish
    30•20 hours 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]English
      8•15 hours ago

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

      • Flying SquidMEnglish
        1•15 hours ago

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