Who shot Hvaldimir? The mysterious death of the “Russian spy” takes a surprising turn

Who shot Hvaldimir?

The sudden death of the popular whale and suspected Russian spy took an unexpected turn toward a possible crime thriller on Wednesday when two conservation groups filed a police report claiming the white beluga whale was killed by gunfire.

However, an autopsy was still underway and officials told NBC News that a final assessment could take up to three weeks.

The whale, which captured hearts and minds during its regular appearances off the coast of Norway, was found dead last weekend in the port of Stavanger, a city in the southwest of the country.

Known for his extremely sociable and interactive behavior, Hvaldimir also wore a harness that read “Equipment St. Petersburg” and what looked like a mount for a small camera.

This led to speculation that he had escaped from a Russian military facility where he had been trained as a “spy whale” – hence his name, a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval”, and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now his death is also shrouded in mystery.

The cause of Hvaldimir's death is unclear, so an autopsy has been decided, the Norwegian Fisheries Agency said in a statement on Monday.

On Wednesday, the two animal welfare organizations OneWhale and NOAH stated that there was “convincing evidence that Hvaldimir's death was the result of human-inflicted injury.”

Although autopsy results are still pending, preliminary findings suggest the whale was killed by “gunshot wounds,” according to the organizations.

“Several veterinarians, biologists and ballistics experts have examined photographic evidence, including close-ups of Hvaldimir's injuries,” their statement said. “Their assessments suggest that the whale's death was the result of a criminal act, which requires immediate police intervention.”

The groups shared photos showing bloodstains and holes in the lifeless body of the whale, which the Associated Press said was 13 feet long and weighed 2,700 pounds. NBC News could not independently verify the nature of the apparent injuries.

Regina Haug, founder of OneWhale, told NBC News that Hvaldimir is believed to be about 15 years old, relatively young considering that beluga whales can live to be 60 to 70 years old in the wild.

“The whale I knew and loved was a strong, capable and energetic animal, but still so gentle, with a sweet and cheeky character,” said Haug after seeing the whale's carcass. “It was heartbreaking to see this beautiful animal lifeless. It felt like my heart had dropped into my pants. The pain of losing him to a senseless killing is an agony that seems impossible to heal at the moment.”

OneWhale and NOAH stated that a report had been submitted to the local police and the Norwegian Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime.

Sør-West police confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that they had received the groups' report and would review it to decide whether an investigation was warranted. There was no further comment on the case.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute told NBC News in an emailed statement on Wednesday that Hvaldimir's autopsy was still ongoing and that it could not comment on the results until enough information was available to reach a conclusion.

“We, together with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, have contacted the police prior to the autopsy and will of course involve them if we discover anything that indicates anything suspicious,” the statement said. “The Norwegian Veterinary Institute has a lot of experience working on forensic cases.”

OneWhale and NOAH said they hoped any possible eyewitnesses or others with information about the whale's death would come forward.

Hvaldimir's death came amid a campaign to move him to safer waters in northern Norway where he could have joined other belugas, the organizations said in a statement.

This brought them into conflict with a third non-profit organisation, Marine Mind, which had raised concerns about the relocation. It was Marine Mind that announced that they had found Hvaldimir's lifeless body floating in the harbour on Saturday.

CEO Sebastian Strand told NBC News on Wednesday that some of Hvaldimir's injuries may have been caused by seabirds, but that he would refrain from speculating on the possible cause of death until autopsy results were available.

“To be certain about the nature of the injuries, only an official statement from the veterinary institute that performs the autopsy is possible,” said Strand.