00:00This is Hvaldemir, the beluga whale.
00:02When he was first discovered back in 2019 just off the northern coast of Norway,
00:07he was wearing a harness, which looked to be a mount for a camera.
00:11This is how he earned both his nickname, the Russian spy whale,
00:14and his official name, Hvaldemir, a combination of the Norwegian word for whale
00:18and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
00:21He was also first discovered just 190 miles from the Russian maritime border.
00:26However, last week, the beluga whale was discovered dead by a father and son
00:30who were fishing in the area.
00:32Hvaldemir was of great interest to researchers as he responded to hand signs,
00:36with experts saying they believe he was part of a secret Russian research program.
00:40The Kremlin has never responded to the allegations.
00:42However, the gear he was initially wearing was labeled as Equipment St. Petersburg.
00:47Norwegian non-profit Marine Mind wrote on Facebook after the whale's passing,
00:51quote, Hvaldemir was not just a beluga whale.
00:54He was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection,
00:57and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world.
01:01Authorities say they will now conduct a necropsy to ascertain the cause of death.
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