From Russia with puppy love
Nation to send Alsatian to replace police dog killed in Paris terror raid
Russia is offering to lend France a hand — or a paw, rather — after the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is about to send over a puppy named Dobrynya to replace Diesel, a French police dog who died tracking down suspects.
Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, in a letter to his French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, offered a puppy as a “sign of solidarity,” AFP reported.
Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois, was killed during the St-Denis apartment raid on Wednesday that targeted suspects connected to the Paris terrorist attacks. Three died in the raid in the Paris suburb, including the suspected mastermind behind the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
In a Facebook post, the ministry said the service dog is named after a legendary Russian hero, Dobrynya Nikitich, who is “the personification of strength, goodness, courage and altruism.”
Jean-Michel Fauvergue, a French police chief, told newspaper Le Parisien that Diesel was sent to explore the premises to look for explosives during the raid before he was killed, and that he “without doubt” saved the lives of police officers who were preparing to enter.
Diesel was hailed a hero in a social media outpouring under the hashtag #JeSuisChien.