Russia's Spy Whales Now Under Tighter Security

We've been following this story since April's WTH: "Whale with harness could be Russian weapon, say Norwegian experts". More after the jump.
From The Barents Observer, September 5:

Spy-colleagues of ‘Whaledimir’ are now better tied up at home in Russia

New satellite images from from the secret base of Russia’s Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research on the coast of the Kola Peninsula show that two pens with beluga whales are tied up with extra mooring ropes to hinder the animals to escape.

The two pens are tied up after runaway ‘Whaledimir’ was first spotted by local fishermen on Norway’s Barents Sea coast in late April and it could be that he escaped while the pens were being moved to the new location.

In May, the Barents Observer published a series of Google Earth satellite images showing two locations on the Kola Peninsula within closed naval territories where beluga whales are kept locked up in pens.

Recently updated satellite images from the same area now show that there are two pens less in Goryachie Ruchy south of Polyarny and these two are likely the ones moved to the inlet of Olenya Bay and tied up in between a small island and the mainland.   

Image: Google Earth / Barents Observer  

There are three clearly visible mooring ropes and lines to each side from the two pens, with additional ropes in between the mooring lines.

At least one beluga whale can be seen inside the largest pen.

The new location is a few hundred meters to the north of the easternmost pirs at the submarine base in Olenya Bay. Unlike other submarine bases on the coast of the Kola Peninsula, the submarines here are not carrying weapons, but are specially designed for underwater research and spy-operations.
Olenya Bay is home to Russia’s secret special missions submarines, the  29th Special Submarine squadron, operated by the Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research, also nicknamed GUGI. Last year, the Barents Observer published a longer story about the base and the fleet of spy-submarines, including several small nuclear-powered subs that can sit still on the seafloor....

....MUCH MORE

Of all the stories that came out after the fishermen saw the whale-wearing-a-harness  and realized it seemed pretty at-ease around people was this from one of the whale watchers who went out to look at the Beluga. First the background from the above mentioned May Barents Observer story:

....The beluga whale wearing a harness with mounts for a GoPro camera that first was spotted by local fishermen on Norway’s Barents Sea coast in late April is still swimming around in the harbor of Hammerfest.

Making big headlines in Norway and around the globe, the locals name him ‘Whaledimir’ (Hvaldimir in Norwegian) after national broadcaster NRK made a poll asking their audience to name the animal. Today the beluga is stripped free from the harness, but is refusing to leave his new life of freedom in Norway. Experts say the whale will likely not survive without being fed by humans....

To which we added:

Hvaldimir? What kind of name is Hvaldimir?
Whaley McWhaleface should have been a lock.

There is some question whether this Beluga returning a woman's dropped phone is Hvaldimar or just some rando phone retrieving cetacean:



Here's the story and video of the retrieval.

Incredible Footage Shows Whale Retrieve Phone Woman Dropped In The Ocean