Putin gifts a lion, bears and dozens of other animals to North Korea zoo

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a deal to ‘immediately provide military and other assistance using all available means’ if either side is in a state of war - (AP)

Vladimir Putin has gifted dozens of animals – including a lion and two bears – to a zoo in North Korea, the latest in a series of exchanges as Russia relies on Pyongyang’s artillery and troops to bolster its invasion of Ukraine.

More than 70 animals, including an African lion and two brown bears, were sent by plane with veterinarians from Moscow’s zoo to be transferred to a zoo in Pyongyang.