THE “Hvaldimir”a beluga whale that was spotted four years ago wearing a strange harness that raised suspicions the whale was being used by the Russian Navy, is currently off the west coast of Sweden, according to a non-governmental organization tracking its movements .

The cetacean was spotted for the first time in its waters of the Norwegian Arctic in 2019. The name given to this several-meter-long beluga came from a wordplay connecting the word whale (hval, in Norwegian) and the common Russian first name (Vladimir).

In recent days he has been spotted swimming in the Oslo fjord and yesterday further south in the North Sea at Hannebostrand on Sweden’s west coast, the organisation’s Sebastian Strand told AFP. OneWhale.

After spending three years slowly descending from northern Norway, in recent months it has been heading south, for some inexplicable reason.

“We don’t know why it’s moving so fast right now,” especially since it’s “moving away from its natural environment,” noted Strand, a marine biologist.

“It could be the hormones pushing her to find a mate. Another reason may be loneliness beluga who are very social, may be looking for others.’

Estimated to be between 13 and 14 years old, “Hvaldimir” was spotted in April 2019 off the coast of ArcticFinnmark in the Far North of Norway.

Biologists who approached her managed to remove the belt tied around her head.

The belt was equipped with a mount for a small camera, and on the plastic straps of the belt was written in English: “Equipment St. Petersburg.”

THE Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries he then assumed that Khvaldimir had escaped from an enclosure and had been trained by the Russian Navy, as she appeared to be used to the company of people and had a tendency to approach ships.

Moscow has never officially commented on the speculation.

Beluga whales usually live much further north, near Greenland, or in the waters of the Russian or Norwegian Arctic.

THE Barents Sea and the North Atlantic are strategic areas for the Navy of both Russia and Western countries, an area with a common contact zone for their submarines.

According to Strand, Hvaldimir appears healthy, feeding on fish attracted by the large salmon farms in Norway.

But OneWhale is concerned that Hvaldimir may be able to find food where he is, with the organization saying it has already spotted signs of the whale losing weight.