JUST WANTS A CUDDLE

Russian Spy Whale Pops Up in Sweden

All it wants, says one expert, is a bit of “human interaction.”

Spies are meant to be able to blend in seamlessly, but a former Russian spy now living in Scandinavia can't help but bring attention to himself. But then, as the Washington Post reports, he is “also a whale.” The white beluga whale has become a bit of a celebrity in Norway since he first started pestering local fisherman in 2019, when he was found to be wearing a harness with the words “Equipment of St Petersburg.” Nicknamed Hvaldimir—hval is the Norwegian word for whale—he mostly hung around Finmark, off northern Norway near the Russian border. But he has now headed south and crossed over into busy Swedish waters, prompting fears he could be hit by a boat. Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta, a former marine mammal trainer, told the Post it’s “most likely that he’s seeking human interaction.”