The mystery surrounding the appearance of a beluga whale off the coast of Norway, wearing a harness, may finally be explained.
The whale, nicknamed Hvaldimir by locals, made headlines five years ago after it was spotted in the waters off northern Norway, sparking widespread speculation that it was a Russian spy. Now, an expert in beluga whales believes that the whale likely belonged to the military and escaped from a naval base in the Arctic Circle.
Dr. Olga Shpak, a marine mammal expert, believes the whale was trained by the military to guard the base but had escaped due to its mischievous nature, rather than being used for espionage. While Russia has consistently refused to confirm or deny the whale’s military ties, Dr. Shpak is confident in her theory. She attributes her knowledge to conversations with former colleagues and friends in Russia.
Dr. Shpak, who worked on marine mammal research in Russia for decades before moving back to Ukraine in 2022, expressed her certainty about the whale’s origins, stating, “For me, it’s 100% certain.”
The beluga first captured public attention in 2019 when it approached a group of fishermen off the northern coast of Norway. Joar Hesten, one of the fishermen, described the whale’s behavior, saying it seemed to be seeking human help:
Dr. Shpak chose not to disclose her sources in Russia for their safety but shared that, upon the beluga’s appearance in Norway, the Russian marine mammal community immediately recognized it as one of their own.
“Through a network of veterinarians and trainers, the message came back that they were missing a beluga named Andruha,” she explains.
According to Dr. Shpak, Andruha, also known as Hvaldimir, was initially captured in 2013 in the Sea of Okhotsk off Russia’s Far East. A year later, he was moved from a facility owned by a St. Petersburg dolphinarium to a military program in the Russian Arctic, where his trainers and vets continued to stay in touch.
“I believe that when they began working in open waters, trusting the animal not to swim away, he simply decided to break free,” Dr. Shpak speculates.
She adds, “What I’ve heard from those at the commercial dolphinarium who had him is that Andruha was quite intelligent, making him a good candidate for training. However, he also had a mischievous side—he was an active, playful beluga—so it wasn’t surprising that he abandoned the boat and went off in his own direction.”
