Russia has gifted France a new puppy to replace Diesel, the seven-year-old police dog who was killed during a raid linked to the Paris terror attacks.
Igor Zubov, a Russian deputy interior minister, handed the male German shepherd puppy named Dobrynya to French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert at a ceremony at the French Embassy in Moscow yesterday.
"The puppy you are giving us will replace Diesel and proves your friendship," said Ripert said at the event also attended by Russian and French soldiers.
"They are waiting for this puppy in Paris," he said.
Russia's gift dog Dobrynya is named after a folklore hero, and is intended as a "symbol of the unity of our nations in implacable fight against terrorism," Zubov said.
"In Russia, dogs who serve police are loved not only by the police but also by ordinary citizens," he said.
Dobrynya must remain in quarantine for up to three months before leaving for Paris.
Diesel, a female Belgian shepherd, was killed during a police raid on an apartment in a northern suburb of Paris on November 18, five days after 130 people were killed in multiple terror attacks in Paris, claimed by Islamic State.
Two terrorists died in the raid that killed Diesel, including the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and a relative, Hasna Ait Boulahcen.
