Beluga whale Hvaldimir was trained by Russian military before escaping, Ukrainian expert reveals

The mystery surrounding Hvaldimir, the beluga whale that appeared off Norway's coast wearing a harness in 2019, may finally be solved. According to Dr. Olga Shpak, an expert in beluga whales who worked in Russia on marine mammal research from the 1990s until returning to her native Ukraine in 2022, Hvaldimir was trained by the Russian military before escaping from a naval base in the Arctic Circle.

In April 2019, Hvaldimir was found off the coast of Norway wearing a harness with a camera mount that had the inscription "Equipment St. Petersburg." The whale appeared unusually tame and sought the company of people, even approaching fishermen. Locals named him Hvaldimir, combining the Norwegian word "hval" for whale and the name Vladimir, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin. His presence raised speculation that he could be a Russian spy, especially given his unusual behavior.

Norwegian authorities decided to monitor and feed Hvaldimir, noting that he seemed unable to catch fish for himself, as if conditioned by humans. The whale's actions, such as returning lost iPhones and "playing catch" with a group of South African rugby fans, further highlighted his familiarity with human interaction.

Dr. Shpak bases her belief on discussions with her friends and former colleagues in Russia. "For me, it's 100 percent certain," she said, according to The Independent. "Through the chain of vets and trainers the message came back—that they were missing a beluga called Andruha." In 2014, the whale was allegedly moved from a facility owned by a dolphinarium in St. Petersburg to an Arctic military program, where his trainers and vets remained in contact.

She believes Hvaldimir fled because he was a "hooligan" and that he swam away on his own when trusted enough to be released into open water. Dr. Shpak said, "When they started working in open waters there, believing the animal wouldn't escape, I believe the whale simply gave up on them." She added, "I heard from the guys from the dolphinarium that Andruha was smart, a good choice for training, but he was like a hooligan, so they weren't surprised he went where he wanted."

Satellite images near the Russian naval base in Murmansk could show Hvaldimir's former home, with what appear to be pens holding white whales. The images show a bay with fenced round pools, and at least two elongated light-colored shapes that could be whales are visible in the pools. The larger of the shapes is about four meters long, which corresponds to the length of adult beluga whales.

Tomas Nilsen from the Norwegian newspaper Barents Observer said, "The location of the beluga whales, very close to submarines and surface vessels, tells us that they are actually part of the protection system," as reported by The Independent. Biologists state that belugas in the past have been used to guard naval bases, help divers, and find lost equipment. Both the United States and Russia are known to have had military training programs for aquatic mammals, such as dolphins and whales. These mammals have been trained to detect sea mines and recover inert torpedoes.

The whales were reportedly trained by the Soviets during the Cold War to sniff out mines and torpedoes. The Crimean port city of Sevastopol has housed a military training center for dolphins since 1965. The training center in Sevastopol fell into disrepair after the collapse of the Soviet Union but was reportedly revived by Ukraine in 2012 before falling into Russian control after Moscow annexed the peninsula.

In April 2019, a Russian military spokesperson denied that Hvaldimir was connected to a training program but acknowledged that dolphins are sometimes used for military roles. Retired Russian colonel Viktor Baranets said at the time, "If we were using this animal for spying, do you really think we'd attach a mobile phone number with the message 'Please call this number'?" according to The Independent.

After Hvaldimir's viral emergence in 2019, the Russian marine mammal community identified him as a whale first captured in 2013 in the Sea of Okhotsk. There have also been theories that Hvaldimir swam from the United States or that he acted as a therapy whale for children. The tame beluga whale found in Norway five years ago has been suspected over the years of being a Russian spy or a therapy whale for children, as reported by Helsingin Sanomat.

Hvaldimir has occasionally made headlines when he has been spotted. Last year, he was seen in southern Sweden, which is an unusually southern location for a beluga whale. Earlier reports suggested that no one had reported missing the whale, adding to the mystery surrounding his origins.

Although some activists claimed that the whale was shot, the Norwegian police reject this, stating that nothing indicates that the beluga's death was caused by human activity. At first, it was suspected that Hvaldimir had been shot, but later the claim was disproven.

According to BBC, Shpak believes Hvaldimir was trained to guard the naval base and fled once released into open water due to his "hooligan" mindset.

Sources: BBC News, The Independent, Helsingin Sanomat

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq