Norway claims it spotted Russian ‘spy beluga’ off Swedish coast

A beluga whale that was first sighted four years ago in Norwegian arctic waters wearing a harness that appeared to be Russian-made, and allegedly coming from a Russian military installation, has been spotted off the coast of Swedenalmost 2,000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles) to the south.

“During the last few weeks he has moved fast and swum several hundred kilometers” before reaching waters off the Swedish west coast, said Olav Lekve of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.

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He animal was sighted near lysekillnorth of Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden. Swedish authorities did not immediately comment.

He Marine Mammal was seen last week in the Oslo fjord, where authorities urged people to avoid contact with the animal to ensure its safety and well-being. Whale watchers in Norway they have nicknamed her Hvaldimircombining the Norwegian word for whale –hval– and the given name of the President of Russia, Vladimir.

The board noted that there was a risk of injury to Hvaldimir when more recreational boats than usual gathered in the fjord as people tried to see the massive American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which briefly visited the Norwegian capital.

“We have not received any reports from within the Oslo Fjord that give us cause for concern,” Levke said in an email to The Associated Press.

As for the origin of the belugahe noted, the Norwegian authorities “They don’t want to speculate about it either”.

The beluga is considered a protected wild marine mammal while in Norwegian waters, he noted, and the authorities have “rejected all inquiries and plans to capture her”.

The enigmatic cetacean was discovered in 2019 swimming in a frigid harbor near the northernmost point of Norway, where it became an attraction for the local population. The animal was so comfortable with people that it would swim to the pier and retrieve plastic rings thrown into the sea.

In the Russia Soviet Union of the 80s, a program of military training for dolphins. Their razor-sharp vision, stealth, and good memory made them effective tools for detecting weapons.

This program closed in the 1990s. However, a 2017 report by TV Zvezda, a Ministry of Defense channel, revealed that the navy has been training beluga whales, seals and dolphins in these waters for military purposes.

In recent years, President Vladimir Putin has reopened three military bases on the Arctic coast.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.