(WRIC/ABC) — Russia gave French police a German shepherd puppy on Monday in an official handover ceremony at the French Embassy in Moscow as an act of solidarity following the terrorist attacks in Paris last month.
The new police pup, Dobrynya, is replacing fallen seven-year-old Belgian Malinois, Diesel.
The K-9 died during an apartment raid of the alleged mastermind behind the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, in November, ABC affiliate WABC reported.
The Embassy tweeted photos and video of the event. French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said, the puppy is a “living symbol of the strong ties of friendship and cooperation” between France and Russia. He also said that both countries were “victims of the same terrorist actions,” according to the French Embassy, calling the gift of Dobrynya a “touching gesture.”
The newest member of the French police force is named after Dobrynya Nikitich, a heroic knight from Russian folk legend.
Ripert received Dobrynya from Russia’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Zubov at 5 P.M. in Moscow, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs website.
