Whale spotted off Swedish coast that could spy on Russia
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A beluga whale spotted off the coast of Hunnebostrand in Sweden has attracted the attention of researchers as it has been speculated to be involved in spying for Russia. This is reported by The Guardian.
The whale stayed on the coastline of Norway for about three years, but then suddenly moved to Sweden. Marine biologist Sebastian Strand of OneWhale noted that it is not clear why the whale has accelerated just now. He suggested that the animal is probably looking for a mate or relatives, since beluga whales are a very social species. The nearest population of beluga whales is in the Svalbard archipelago, which is located between the northern coast of Norway and the north pole.
Kit was nicknamed Hvaldimir, a pun on “kit” (called “hval” in Norwegian), indicating his connection to Russia. At the time of its appearance in Norwegian waters, a collar was found on it, which marine biologists removed. Action cameras are attached to such collars, while on the plastic fasteners there was an inscription “Equipment St. Petersburg”.
Experts have speculated that Khvaldimir may have escaped from the enclosure and may have been trained by the Russian Navy, as he seems accustomed to human contact. So far, Moscow has not come forward with an official response to Norwegian speculation about a possible “Russian spy” in the person of this whale.
The Barents Sea is of strategic importance in geopolitical terms, since the activities of submarines are monitored here both by Western states and by Russia. This makes the appearance of the whale in this area even more curious.
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