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Norway Says Beluga Whale With Apparent Russian-Made Harness Swims South To Sweden


 Hvaldimir the beluga whale in Hammerfest, Norway, in June 2019
Hvaldimir the beluga whale in Hammerfest, Norway, in June 2019

Norwegian authorities say a beluga whale, which was first spotted in Arctic Norway four years ago with an apparent Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian military facility, has been seen off Sweden's coast nearly 2,000 kilometers to the south. "During the last few weeks, it has moved quickly and swam several hundred kilometers" before reaching waters off Sweden's west coast, Olav Lekve of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said. Whale-watchers in Norway have nicknamed it Hvaldimir, combining the Norwegian word for whale -- hval -- and the Russian first name Vladimir. To read the original story by AP, click here.

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