Due balene beluga evacuate dall’Ucraina arrivano in Spagna

Two beluga whales have been rescued from the besieged city of Kharkiv in Ukraine and taken to an aquarium in Valencia, Spain, in a [complex operation](https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/20/travel/kharkiv-beluga-whales-spain-scli-intl/index.html).

A multinational team involving marine mammal care experts from Oceanogràfic de Valencia, the largest oceanarium in Europe; Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta; and SeaWorld were involved in the high-risk journey.

The pair of belugas – a 15-year-old male named Plombir and a 14-year-old female called Miranda – arrived in “delicate health” Tuesday evening after a “grueling journey,” according to Georgia Aquarium.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, which sits near its border with Russia, has seen a spate of Russian attacks in recent weeks.

Last month, a Russian strike on a megastore in the city killed 18 people, including a 12-year-old girl, regional officials said.

“The city is facing increasing threat from artillery fire, which has intensified in recent weeks, with bombs dropping within a few hundred meters of the aquarium,” Georgia Aquarium said in a press release.