A white beluga whale named Hvaldimir who was first spotted not far from Russian waters with a harness and ignited rumours he may be a Moscow spy, has been found dead.

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported the whale carcass was found floating at the Risavika Bay in southern Norway on Saturday by a father and son who were fishing.

The beluga, named by combining the Norwegian word for whale – hval – and Russian President Putin’s first name Vladimir, was lifted out of the water with a crane and taken to a nearby harbour where experts will examine it.

Marine biologist Sebastian Strand told NRK: “Unfortunately, we found Hvaldimir floating in the sea. He has passed away but it’s not immediately clear what the cause of death is,” adding that no major external injuries were visible on the animal.

Mr Strand, who has monitored Hvaldimir’s adventures for the past three years on behalf of the Norway-based Marine Mind non-profit organisation, said he was deeply affected by the whale’s sudden death.

A man leans over a fishing boat and claps his hands at a beluga whale in the water
The whale was wearing a harness when it was first spotted (Jorgen Ree Wiig/ Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries/AP)

“It’s absolutely horrible,” Mr Strand said. “He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday). We just have to figure out what might have happened here.”

The 14ft whale was first spotted by fishermen near the northern island of Ingoya, not far from the Arctic city of Hammerfest, in April 2019 wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera and a buckle marked with the text: “Equipment St Petersburg.”

That sparked allegations that the beluga was “a spy whale”. Experts said the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes.

Over the years, the beluga was seen in several Norwegian coastal towns and it quickly became clear that he was very tame and enjoyed playing with people, NRK said.

Marine Mind said on its site that Hvaldimir was very interested in people and responded to hand signals.

“Based on these observations, it appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” it said.

Norwegian media have speculated whether Hvaldimir could have been used as “a therapy whale” of some sort in Russia.