"Russian spy" Khvaldimir did not die a natural death, he was shot — NBC News

There is "convincing evidence" that the death of the beluga whale Khvaldimir, known as the "Russian spy," "was caused by intentional injuries inflicted by a person." This was announced today by representatives of two animal rights organizations — OneWhale and NOAH, according to NBC News.

Two environmental organizations have contacted the police today with a statement that a beluga whale was shot, the TV channel reports. An autopsy is underway and a final assessment could take up to three weeks, officials said.

The decision on the autopsy was decided to be carried out because the cause of death of the whale was unclear, the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate reported on Monday. On Wednesday, two animal rights organizations, OneWhale and NOAH, said there was "strong evidence that Hvaldimir's death was caused by intentional injuries inflicted by a person." According to them, preliminary findings indicate that the whale died from gunshot wounds.

"Several veterinarians, biologists and ballistics experts examined photographic evidence, including close-ups of Khvaldimir's injuries. Their assessments strongly suggest that the whale's death was the result of a criminal act, which necessitates immediate police intervention," the human rights activists said in a statement.

They presented photos with traces of blood and, presumably, bullet holes in the lifeless body of the whale. NBC News was unable to independently verify the nature of the apparent injuries.

The whale, which regularly appeared off the coast of Norway, was found dead last weekend in the harbor of Stavanger, a city in the south-west of the country. Hvaldimir appeared in Norway in 2019 in a tightly stretched body kit for a camera or weapon with the inscription: "Equipment of St. Petersburg". This gave rise to rumors that he had escaped from a Russian military facility where he was trained as a "spy whale." The whale got its nickname from a combination of the Norwegian word "praise" (whale) and the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.