Russia transferred more than 70 animals, including an African lion and two brown bears, to a zoo in the North Korean capital Pyongyang from Moscow’s zoo, the Russian government said on Wednesday. The animals were “a gift from (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to the Korean people,” the government said. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. A bird is unloaded in a wooden crate upon arrival in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Pyongyang and Moscow have forged closer ties since Putin visited the country in June and concluded a treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

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Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Alexander Kozlov, Kozlov, Putin, Kim Organizations: North, Getty, Pyongyang Central Zoo, Moscow Zoo, Russian Natural Resources Ministry, AFP, Russia Locations: Russia, Korean, Pyongyang, Moscow’s, Russian, Moscow