believes the whale, whose original name was reportedly Andruha, was indeed involved in a Russian military programme, but not as a spy. Instead, Dr Shpak says Andruha was likely trained to guard the naval base in Murmansk, in the Arctic Circle. According to ...

Headlines announcing the arrival of a possible Russian spy dolphin soon circulated around the world as the beluga (dubbed Hvaldimir by locals) continued its Norwegian residency. And while Hvaldimir sadly died in September,

Five years ago, a friendly white beluga whale approached fisherman in the waters off Norway, and quickly cemented his status as a figure of international intrigue. Hvaldimir, as the whale came to be known,

The tame white whale, which locals named Hvaldimir, made headlines five years ago amidst widespread speculation that it was a Russian spy. Now an expert in the species says she believes the whale did indeed belong to the military and escaped from a naval base in the Arctic Circle.

Now, an expert in the species has spoken out about the mystery surrounding the whale, which was found dead in September. Dr Olga Shpak, who worked in Russia researching marine mammals from the 1990s before returning to her native country,

The Hvaldimir whale - which was spotted off the coast of Norway in 2019 - was originally thought to have been a Russian spy and the claims may have been right.