Hvaldimir
Hvaldimir spyhopping to inspect a boat at Hammerfest Harbour | |
| Species | Beluga whale |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 2009 |
| Died | 31 August 2024 (aged 14–15) Risavika, Rogaland, Norway |
| Cause of death | Bacterial infection (suspected) |
| Known for | Suspected Russian spy |
| Named after | Vladimir Putin |
Hvaldimir (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈʋɑːl.dɪ.mɪr]; c. 2009 – 31 August 2024) was a male beluga whale that fishermen near Hammerfest in northern Norway noticed in April 2019 allegedly wearing a camera harness. After being freed from the harness, he remained in the area and appeared used to humans. Speculation that he had been trained by Russia as a spy whale led to his being dubbed Hvaldimir, a portmanteau of Norwegian hval (whale) and "Vladimir", for Russian President Vladimir Putin. By 2023, Hvaldimir's range appeared to have expanded to include areas of the south-western coastline of Sweden. On 31 August 2024, Hvaldimir was found dead in the bay of Risavika, close to Stavanger in Norway. Activist groups claimed he died from gunfire, but the following necropsy confirmed that was not the case.
According to Ukrainian marine researcher Olga Shpak, the whale was named Andruha and was captured in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2013. The whale spent a year in St. Petersburg and then was moved to a Russian military naval base in Murmansk where it eventually escaped.