2024-09-03 08:32:16
Moscow: Russia’s spy whale Hvaldimir has been found dead near the coast of Norway. It is believed that this whale collided with a boat, due to which it died. This whale, 14 feet long and weighing 2,700 pounds, has been seen as a Russian spy. This whale was first seen near Ingoy Island on 22 April 2019. During this time this whale was wearing a tight harness. Western countries claim that this whale was part of a secret mission of the Russian Navy, but it probably escaped from their clutches during an exercise.
Where did Hvaldimir live
The name of this whale, Hvaldimir, is a combination of the Norwegian word “Hval” used for whale and the first part of the Russian President’s name “Vladimir”. Beluga whales usually live in the remote cold Arctic Ocean. However, Hvaldimir was used to living among humans. After leaving Russia, this whale lived near the coast of Norway. Western countries were very suspicious of the presence of this whale. Norway had warned its citizens a few months ago not to go too close to this aquatic creature. This could also endanger their lives.
Russia used to give training on the Kola Peninsula
American naval expert HI Shuton said that this whale lived at the Russian naval base located near the Kola Peninsula, which is located on the edge of the Arctic, its natural habitat. It was domesticated and on several occasions local fishermen also tried to catch it. When the harness on the body of this whale was removed, it was labeled as made in St. Petersburg, Russia’s largest commercial city. It is believed that Russian scientists use such harnesses during research.
Russia started the project during the Cold War
During the Cold War, the Russian Navy started training marine creatures to spy on western countries including the US. This whale was also a part of the same program. However, this project of the Russian Navy could not succeed and was later discontinued. These marine creatures were trained by scientists of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. These included whales, sharks, turtles and many other marine creatures. All these marine creatures were trained to take orders from their instructors and to spy on the enemy by entering their territory.
Marines were given spying training
A special harness was put on the body of all these sea creatures, which had one or more cameras attached to it. These cameras looked like Go-Pro. This means that these cameras could be used in underwater reconnaissance missions. However, they had a limited range inside and outside the water. By watching the video obtained from this, Russian military officers used to find out the military resources, strength and weakness of the enemy. However, this mission was quite dangerous, because the sea creatures sometimes refused to obey the orders of their instructor.
Why Russia chose the beluga whale
Belugas are larger than dolphins. Male beluga whales are up to 5.5 metres (18 feet) long and weigh up to 1,600 kilograms (3,530 pounds). They are adapted to life in the Arctic, including living in icy waters. For this, they have physical differences from other marine mammals, the most prominent of which is their white color. They do not have a fin on their back like other marine animals. Their hearing power is many times more than other creatures. Their nose is adept at echo-location, which helps them easily find their way.
Beluga whales can dive deeper than a submarine
Beluga whales are slower than most, but they can dive up to 700 metres (2,300 feet), a depth that is deeper than most ocean divers and most submarines can go, although not as deep as the nuclear-powered Special Mission Deep Sea Station (AGS) located at Olenya Guba near Severomorsk, operated by GUGI (Main Directorate of Ocean Research). Both the Russian and US navies have experimented with using marine mammals for underwater operations in the past, including seals, sealions and dolphins.