An Alaskan man, Mark Warren, went viral in Russia after being spotted with his Soviet-era bike in Anchorage, leading President Vladimir Putin to gift him a new motorcycle.
NEW: Russian President Putin gifts an Alaskan man a new motorcycle after his recent summit in Anchorage.
Mark Warren went viral in Russia shortly before the summit when Russian reporters stumbled upon him on the streets of Anchorage.
Warren was flagged down by a Russian TV crew… pic.twitter.com/kUrlNzoOaI
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 19, 2025
Mark Warren went viral in Russia shortly before the summit when Russian reporters stumbled upon him on the streets of Anchorage. Warren was flagged down by a Russian TV crew on August 9 when they noticed his Soviet-era bike. The crew was fascinated with the bike and started asking Warren questions about it. Warren said that maintaining the bike was becoming difficult because the manufacturing plant is now “located in Ukraine.” “The reporters stopped to admire Warren’s bike, which is manufactured by Ural, whose original factory was founded in 1941 in what was then Soviet Russia,” Reuters reported. The story went viral in Russia and even caught the attention of Putin, who then gifted him a new bike. “I’m speechless, it’s amazing. Thank you very much,” Warren said.