WAR FISH

April 2019, off the coast of Hammerfest in Norway. It is here that a seemingly peaceful region becomes the epicentre of a geopolitical enigma… For on the outskirts of a Norwegian fishing village, the strange silhouette of a white beluga whale is spotted criss-crossing the Arctic waters. The animal is not very shy and is obviously used to the presence of humans. It was looking to make contact. A local fisherman filmed it, and saw a harness strapped to the animal with a device for attaching a camera. The clasp bears the enigmatic words ‘Equipment St Petersburg’… A key detail. The theory that the beluga whale was a spy working for the Kremlin was quickly born out, triggering an international investigation that had its origins in the shadow of the Cold War.