A 2023 video of beluga whales stranded in Russia is being shared as recently, claiming it occurred just before the 2025 Kamchatka earthquake.
A viral video circulating online claims to show five beluga whales washed ashore on the Russian coast shortly before the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kamchatka, Russia, on July 30, 2025. The claim implies a connection between the whale stranding and the earthquake, suggesting the whales sensed the impending disaster.
Fact Check
We first checked verified media sources to see if any mainstream news outlets had reported on the incident. However, we did not find any credible news reports confirming that such an event had recently occurred.
A reverse image search on key fragments of the video and investigation reveal that this viral video is not recent. It was first published online in August 2023, showing five beluga whales stranded near the Tigil River in Kamchatka, Russia. The whales were rescued alive by a team of marine specialists.
The July 30, 2025 earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka was real, and tsunami alerts were issued across Pacific nations, including Japan.
While multiple whales were found beached recently in Tateyama, Japan, experts are still debating whether this was caused by the earthquake or an earlier typhoon. These incidents are unrelated to the video being shared.
Several international media outlets have also verified that the footage used in these misleading posts is at least two years old and has no connection to the 2025 earthquake.
Conclusion
The viral video of whales washing ashore in Russia is not linked to the July 2025 earthquake. It is old footage from August 2023 being falsely shared with a misleading narrative. There is no evidence to support claims that whales were stranded in Russia as a warning before the earthquake.
Title:Old Video of Whale Stranding in Russia Shared with False Claim Linking It to Recent Earthquake
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: False
