A beluga whale, previously hinted to be a spy whale for the Russian navy, was spotted swimming swiftly off the Swedish coast on Sunday.
The meter-long white whale was first spotted several years ago with a camera strap near Norway, sparking talk that it was being used for espionage.
Since then, the whale has been known as Hvaldimir, combining the words hval (whale in Norwegian) and the common Russian name Vladimir, which is also the name of the president of Russia.
When it was first spotted in 2019, the whale's strap was equipped with a small camera and "Equipment St. Peterburg" was printed on the plastic strap.
On Sunday, Hvaldimir was spotted near Hunnebostrand in western Sweden. Hvaldimir has been moving faster than the normal pace. The main causes of movement may be related to hormones or loneliness, as belugas are very social creatures.
The whale is not the only marine species that has been used as a military force. During the Cold War, both the US and the Soviet Union began using dolphins for military purposes. Through them, underwater objects such as mines can be detected. In April 2022, it was reported that Russia deployed trained military dolphins to its naval base in the Black Sea – possibly to protect the fleet from an underwater attack.
The Guardian reports that the US has spent at least $28 million to maintain corps of dolphins and sea lions – which are also trainable – to help in conflicts.
