He may be no Diesel, but Russia has given France a new puppy following the death of the seven-year-old police dog during a terror raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis last month.
“The puppy you are giving us today will replace Diesel and proves your friendship,” said French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Moscow on Monday.
“They are waiting for this puppy in Paris,” he added, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Diesel’s death in a police raid on November 18 came five days after 130 people were killed in multiple terror attacks in Paris.
A city in mourning marked the dog’s death with the hashtag #JeSuisChien, a nod to #JeSuisCharlie, the hashtag that went viral after the terror attacks on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January.
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.
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,” Russian Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov said during the ceremony on Monday.