RUSSIA HAS SENT a puppy to France in a gesture of solidarity following the Paris attacks.
The puppy, named Dobrynya, is being sent over to replace French police dog Diesel who was killed in a raid on jihadists linked to the Paris attacks that killed 130 people.
Paris police chief Jean-Michel Fauvergue told the French newspaper Le Parisien that the Belgian Shepherd Diesel “probably saved the lives of policemen who were about to enter”.
The hashtag #JeSuisChien (I am a dog) and #JeSuisDiesel trended on Twitter after French police announced that seven-year-old Diesel died in the raid targeting Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of last Friday’s Paris attacks.
Three people died during the massive operation at the apartment in Saint-Denis north of Paris.
In a letter posted on the ministry’s Facebook page, the Russian minister for internal affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsez wrote that he was offering the puppy as “a sign of solidarity with the people and police of France.”
He added that Dobrynya “will be able to occupy the place in service of the police dog Diesel killed during a special operation to neutralise terrorists”.
The dog is named after a hero of Russian folk legend, Dobrynya Nikitch, famed for his strength, goodness and courage.
Last night, the ministry posted pictures of the small fluffy puppy and a video of him playing with a ball.
Channel One television reported that Dobrynya is two months old and lives at a police dog centre in the Moscow region,
Additional reporting from AFP.
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