Russian armed forces release video of frolicking puppies
Defence ministry strikes a softer note with New Year’s greeting

Russia’s Ministry of Defence has taken a break from tough talk to release a one-minute clip of puppies playing in the snow.
The Russian armed forces’ official New Year’s greeting is a marked departure from their steely statements on everything from Syria to Nato.

In the video, titled ‘Faithful Friends congratulate you on the coming New Year’, a pack of black and white spotted puppies are shown frolicking in the snow.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other clips in the montage feature puppies eating from a bowl and playing with their handlers, while another moment shows two larger dogs chasing one another along a fence, all accompanied by a soothing light jazz soundtrack.
The video marks “something of a shift in tone” from the ministry, Newsweek says, compared to its usual focus on “the actions and whereabouts of its two-legged members of the armed forces”.
More than 3,000 dogs are employed in the Russian armed forces, AP reports, with one training centre recently winning an international contest against military dogs from Belarus, Egypt, Iran and Uzbekistan.
2018 is the year of the dog in the lunar calendars of Russia’s neighbours, China and Mongolia, and dog motifs have been a popular theme in Russian New Year celebrations.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“Newspapers, magazines and sites are full of advice on how to see in this new year so as to propitiate the Chinese animal god and bring good fortune in the coming year,” says The Moscow Times.
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieve
IN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago