In an unexpected gesture of international goodwill, Mark Warren, a 62-year-old retired fire inspector from Anchorage, Alaska, was gifted a brand-new Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar by the Russian government on August 18, 2025. The $22,000 gift, described as a personal gesture from Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed a high-profile summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Anchorage on August 15.
The story began on August 7, when Warren, a longtime owner of a Soviet-era Ural motorcycle, was interviewed by Russia’s state-run Channel 1 during a segment on life in Alaska. Warren discussed his passion for his 1990s Ural bike and the challenges of sourcing spare parts due to sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He mistakenly believed the Ural manufacturing plant was located in Ukraine, a common misconception. In fact, Ural motorcycles are now assembled in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, with the company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, having ceased production in Russia after the invasion.
The interview went viral in Russia, catching the attention of Kremlin officials. On August 13, Russian journalists contacted Warren to inform him that a new Ural motorcycle was being gifted to him as a gesture of appreciation for his enthusiasm. Initially skeptical, Warren dismissed the offer as a potential scam. “I thought, ‘This can’t be real,’” he told the Anchorage Daily News. “I’m just a guy who likes old bikes.”
The gift was formalized during the Trump-Putin summit, the first major bilateral meeting between the two leaders since Trump’s return to the presidency. On August 18, Russian embassy official Andrei Ledenev, accompanied by a small delegation, presented Warren with the keys to the new Ural Gear Up in the hotel parking lot. The motorcycle, manufactured on August 12, was likely transported to Alaska aboard Putin’s official aircraft, according to sources familiar with the logistics.
“This is a personal gift from President Putin, a token of friendship,” Ledenev said during the handover, as reported by Reuters. The sleek, dark-green bike, equipped with a sidecar and modern upgrades, was a significant improvement over Warren’s older model. “It’s smoother, more precise,” Warren remarked to local reporters. “I’ve never ridden anything like it.”
For Warren, the gift is both a thrill and a challenge. He plans to keep the motorcycle but is bracing for potential backlash. “I’m just a guy who got lucky,” he said, grinning as he admired his new ride. “But I’ll be careful where I park this thing.”
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