An alleged Russian spy whale is in Sweden — and danger. Here's why his tale matters

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/31/ [login to see] /russian-spy-whale-sweden-hvaldimir
A beluga whale long believed to be a Russian spy has surfaced in Sweden, fueling concerns about his well-being and efforts to protect him from dangerous boat traffic.

Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale (hval) and Russian President Vladimir Putin's first name — has spent the last several years swimming south down the coast of Norway, where he was first spotted by fishermen in 2019.

He had been wearing a harness labeled "Equipment St. Petersburg," which led many to believe he'd been trained by the Russian navy for intelligence purposes. (Russia and the U.S. are among the handful of countries that have military training programs incorporating aquatic mammals.)