Moved by Diesel's death, Putin gifts puppy to France

This is something very untypical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, famous for his strict and powerful personality worldwide. But the Russian leader, who topped the Forbes' 2015 list of the world's most powerful person, was touched by the story of Diesel -- the French police dog that was killed by a suicide bomber during the raid at St Denis in Paris on Wednesday.

To take Diesel's place, the Russian leader has donated a new puppy to France.

The puppy, called Dobrynia, has been sent to Paris by the Russian government to help 'in the fight against terrorism'.

It will be trained up to continue to vital work that Diesel, a seven-year-old Belgian shepherd, was doing.  

Diesel, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics team, was sent into the building -- where Paris massacre mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud was hiding -- to sniff out booby traps, but was caught up in the explosion after the first suicide bomber blew herself up.

The force said that 'assault and explosives' search dogs are indispensable to the work of the French anti-terror unit known as Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion.

Diesel's death at the hands of the terrorist sparked an outpouring of sympathy from around the world -- and it seems even Putin was touched by the tale. 

He ordered the puppy to be sent to France, to join the team of officers who had so cherished Diesel.

The puppy has been given the name of one of Russia's most legendary heroes -- a man who personified 'strength, love, courage and self-sacrifice'. Dobrynya Nikitich is one of the most popular bogatyrs (epic knights) from the Russian folklore. He was Vladimir the Great’s maternal uncle and tutor. 

Explaining the gift, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev -- whose ministry shared pictures of Dobrynia on social networking sites -- wrote, 'I ask you to accept from Russian's police dog handlers this shepherd puppy, who will be able to take his place in the ranks of Diesel, your dog who died doing his duty.'

Image: Dobrynia, the puppy gifted by Russia to France. Photograph: Elena Alekseeva/ Instagram.