Russian 'spy' whale surfaces in Sweden after spending three years on Norwegian coastline

A beluga whale, suspected to be a spy trained by the Russian navy, made an appearance off the Swedish coast on Sunday. The whale, which made headlines back in 2019 when it was discovered off the Norwegian coast, had spent more thanthree years slowly moving down the top half of the Norwegian coastline.

The whale was observed loitering in Hunnebostrand, off Sweden’s south-western coast, with marine biologists attempting to decipher did it endup there.

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“We don’t know why he has sped up so fast right now," Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist with the OneWhale organisation was quoted as saying by AFP.

“It could be hormones driving him to find a mate. Or it could be loneliness, as belugas are a very social species – it could be that he’s searching for other beluga whales," he added.

The whale, believed to be 13-14 years old is at an age where the hormones are shooting through the roof. According to reports, the whale has not seen a single other beluga since arriving in Norway.

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The whale, who has been given the nickname "Hvaldimir", had a harness with a mount suited for an action camera planted on it when it was first discovered. The plastic clasps of the mount had the words Equipment St Petersburg printed on them, which led to an international conspiracy theory about the whale being a Russian spy.

Notably, Moscow never confirmed or issued any official reaction to theories that the whale was a "Russian spy".

Keep distance from the beluga: Norway

The whale straying into Swedish waters comes nearly a week after the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries appealed to the public to “avoid contact" with the mammal so that it doesn't suffer any injuries accidentally or lose its life.

“We especially encourage people in boats to keep a good distance to avoid the whale being injured or, in the worst case, killed by boat traffic,” said Fisheries Director Frank Bakke-Jensen in a statement.

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“We have always communicated that the whale in question is a free-living animal and we see no reason to capture it and put it behind barriers,” he added.

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The beluga whales canlive between 40 and 60 years, reaching a size of about six metres. Theyare generally found in theicy waters around Greenland, northern Norway and Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)

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