Russia Offers France New Puppy to Replace Police Dog Killed in Terror Raid

Russia has offered to send France an Alsatian puppy after a French police dog was killed during a counter-terror operation.

The police dog, named Diesel, died Wednesday during an apartment raid against suspects connected to the recent terror attacks on Paris. Now, as a gesture of solidarity, Russia has offered to send a puppy to France “as a sign of solidarity,” AFP reports.

Russia’s interior minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev wrote a letter to his French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, offering to send the pup as “a sign of solidarity with the people and police of France.” The dog’s name is Dobrynya, in honor of Russian folk legend Dobrynya Nikitich, who’s known for his strength and courage.

The two-month-old pooch currently lives at a police dog center in Moscow, and will have to be screened before heading to France.

Police tweeted a picture of Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd, shortly after his death, with the caption: “Assault and explosives search dogs are indispensable in the missions of the operators of the raid.” Twitter users expressed their support for the dog with the hashtags #RIPDiesel, #JeSuisUnChien (“I am a dog”) and #NotAllHeroesAreHuman.