The “spy whale” was discovered off the coast of Sweden: he could have escaped from the Russians

A beluga whale, which may have been trained by the Russians for espionage near the countries of Northern Europe, has appeared off the coast of Sweden.

For more than three years, the whale, first discovered in northern Norway, has been slowly moving along the country’s coastline, The Guardian reports.

But in recent months, the whale suddenly accelerated its migration and reached Swedish shores. On Sunday, it was observed in Hunnebostrand, off the southwest coast of Sweden.

OneWhale marine biologist Sebastian Strand called the fact that the whale “moved away from its natural environment very quickly” “particularly strange.”

Biologists suggest that the rapid change of location of the beluga whale could be prompted by a hormonal surge — it could feel the need to find a mate. Or the mammal could feel lonely, which is why he went to look for other members of his species.

The closest population of such whales is on the Svalbard archipelago, which is halfway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole.

It will be recalled that the authorities of Hammerfest (Norway) allowed the creation of a protected zone in the coastal water area. Hvaldimir the beluga whale will live there – he was probably trained in Russia to carry out espionage activities.

Whales were spotted by fishermen near Norwegian waters in 2019. The mammal later settled near Hammerfest and was cared for by local residents and authorities. Straps and a camera were spotted on the whale – the Norwegian special services discovered that they had been installed for espionage.

Presumably, Khvaldimir was part of the RF research program on the use of whales for maritime espionage