MOSCOW — Russia on Thursday started the process of releasing almost 100 valuable orcas and belugas that have been held for months in what became known as the “whale jail” in the country’s Far East, following an international outcry and intervention by President Vladimir V. Putin.

The movement of the first batch of two orcas and six belugas was first broadcast during Mr. Putin’s annual call-in show on Thursday, highlighting his role as a modern, televised czar, ready to solve any issue, big or small.

The first eight animals were moved from the watery pens where they were forced to spend almost eight months to water reservoirs installed in trucks. They will spend six days traversing more than 1,100 miles to reach the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, the area where they were caught last year.

This route was not the only option considered by the Russian authorities. The initial decision was to release them where they were held in captivity, farther south along Russia’s Pacific coast.