Russia Wants To Send France A Puppy

Russia wants to send a puppy to France as an adorable symbol of solidarity, AFP news service reports. A French police dog named Diesel was among the casualties in Wednesday's raid of the Paris apartment occupied by suspects connected with last week's terrorist attacks. In response to the Belgian Shepherd's passing in the line of duty, Moscow special forces' dog handlers paid their respects to the 7-year-old special ops-trained dog, taking part in the #JeSuisChien hashtag and posting photos of their own police pups.

Now, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev wants to send an Alsatian puppy named Dobrynya to serve in Diesel's honor. Consider it Dog Diplomacy 101. Calling it "a sign of solidarity with the people and police of France," Kolokoltsev told AFP that Dobrynya "will be able to occupy the place in service of the police dog Diesel killed during a special operation to neutralize terrorists." There's no official word yet from France that it'll accept the canine gift. Regardless, Dobrynya, whose namesake is a brave Russian folk hero, is already becoming a national celebrity, appearing on television as well as the Interior Ministry's website. If Dobrynya is eventually cleared for French relocation, he'll have to first undergo medical tests and quarantine. In addition to Diesel, two people were killed during the apartment raid, including 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, whom authorities believe masterminded the Paris attacks carried out by members of the Muslim extremist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Suspected co-conspirator and ISIS member Salah Abdeslam remains at large.