Latest news with #UralGearUp
NDTV
10 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Russian Government Gifts Alaska Man $22,000 Motorcycle After Viral Interview
Alaska: An Alaska man might have walked away as the biggest winner of last week's high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage. He rode off with a new motorcycle, courtesy of the Russian government. Putin's delegation gifted Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector for the Municipality of Anchorage, a Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar, one week after a television crew's interview with Warren went viral in Russia. The motorcycle company, founded in 1941 in western Siberia, now assembles its bikes in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, and distributes them through a team based in Woodinville, Washington. Warren already owned one Ural motorcycle, purchased from a neighbour. He was out running errands on it a week before the summit when a Russian television crew saw him and asked for an interview. Warren told the crew about his difficulty obtaining parts for the bike because of supply-and-demand issues. 'It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because I'm really just a super-duper normal guy,' Warren said Tuesday. 'They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think it's cool.' On August 13, two days before the Trump-Putin summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, Warren received a call from a Russian journalist, who told him, 'They've decided to give you a bike.' Warren said a document he received indicated the gift was arranged through the Russian Embassy in the US, which did not immediately return a message Tuesday. Warren said he initially thought it might be a scam. But after Putin and Trump departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson following their three-hour summit last Friday, he got another call informing him the bike was at the base. He was directed to go to an Anchorage hotel the next day for the handoff. He went with his wife, and there in the parking lot, along with six men he assumed to be Russians, was the olive-green motorcycle, valued at $22,000. 'I dropped my jaw,' he said. "I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'' All the Russians asked in return was to take his picture and interview him, he said: 'If they want something from me, they're gonna be sorely disappointed.' Two reporters and someone from the consulate jumped on the bike with him, and he drove slowly around the parking lot while a cameraman ran alongside and filmed it. The only reservation he had about taking the Ural is that he might somehow be implicated in some nefarious Russian scheme. Warren said he doesn't want a 'bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. … I don't want this for my family.' When he was signing the paperwork, taking ownership of the motorcycle from the Russian embassy, he noticed it was manufactured on August 12. 'The obvious thing here is that it rolled off the showroom floor and slid into a jet within probably 24 hours,' he said.
News18
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- News18
Vladimir Putin Gifts Rs 19 Lakh Motorcycle To Alaska Man: 'You've Got To Be Joking Me'
Mark Warren received a $22,000 Ural Gear Up motorcycle from Vladimir Putin after his interview with a Russian TV crew went viral. An Alaska retiree may have emerged as the most unexpected winner of last week's high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector from Anchorage, was handed the keys to a brand-new Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar- a gift from the Russian government- just days after his chance interview with a Russian television crew went viral. The $22,000 olive-green motorcycle, manufactured on August 12 and flown into Alaska ahead of the summit, was formally presented to Mark Warren through the Russian Embassy. Mark Warren's Viral Interview Mark Warren, already the owner of an older Ural motorcycle he bought from a neighbor, was running errands last week when a Russian TV crew spotted him. He agreed to a quick interview and mentioned the difficulties of finding spare parts for the Soviet-era-inspired bike. Two days before the Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin summit in Anchorage on August 15, Mark Warren got a call from the journalist in which he was told that he will be given a bike. Initially skeptical, Mark Warren assumed the offer was a scam but after the summit ended, he was directed to an Anchorage hotel parking lot, where six men he assumed to be Russians stood beside the new Ural. He recalled, 'I dropped my jaw. I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'" Reporters and a consular official photographed him with the motorcycle, even joining him on a slow ride around the lot for the cameras. While grateful, Mark Warren admitted to reservations about accepting the gift in the current political climate, saying, 'The only thing I worry about is being implicated in some nefarious Russian scheme. I don't want a bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. I don't want this for my family." Still, paperwork signed with the Russian embassy confirmed his ownership as he said, 'The obvious thing here is that it rolled off the showroom floor and slid into a jet within probably 24 hours." The Ural motorcycle brand, founded in Siberia in 1941, now assembles its bikes in Kazakhstan and distributes them from Washington state. view comments First Published: August 20, 2025, 21:05 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
The unlikeliest prize of the Trump-Putin summit: a motorcycle for an Alaska local
An Alaska man may have emerged as the unlikeliest winner of last week's high-stakes Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage — walking away with a brand-new motorcycle, courtesy of the Russian government. Mark Warren, a retired Anchorage fire inspector, received a Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar after a Russian TV crew's interview with him went viral. Warren, already the owner of an older Ural, had told the crew he struggled to find parts for the bike due to supply issues. 'They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think it's cool,' Warren said, Associated Press reported. 'It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because I'm really just a super-duper normal guy.' Two days before the Trump-Putin summit on August 15, Warren got a call from the Russian journalist telling him, 'They've decided to give you a bike.' At first, he thought it was a scam. But the day after the leaders departed Anchorage, he was directed to an Anchorage hotel parking lot where six Russians presented him with the olive-green motorcycle, valued at $22,000. 'I dropped my jaw,' Warren said. 'I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'' The bike, manufactured just a day before it was shipped, arrived through the Russian Embassy in the US. All the Russians asked in return was a photo and a short interview. Warren joked, 'If they want something from me, they're gonna be sorely disappointed.' While delighted with the gift, he admitted some unease. 'I don't want a bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. I don't want this for my family.' (With Inputs from Associated Press)
Arab Times
a day ago
- Business
- Arab Times
Alaska man gifted $22,000 motorcycle by Russian government after viral interview
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug 20, (AP): An Alaska man might have walked away as the biggest winner of last week's high stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage. He rode off with a new motorcycle, courtesy of the Russian government. Putin's delegation gifted Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector for the Municipality of Anchorage, a Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar, one week after a television crew's interview with Warren went viral in Russia. The motorcycle company, founded in 1941 in western Siberia, now assembles its bikes in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, and distributes them through a team based in Woodinville, Washington. Warren already owned one Ural motorcycle, purchased from a neighbor. He was out running errands on it a week before the summit when a Russian television crew saw him and asked for an interview. Warren told the crew about his difficulty obtaining parts for the bike because of supply-and-demand issues. "It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because I'm really just a super-duper normal guy,' Warren said Tuesday. "They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think it's cool.' On Aug. 13, two days before the Trump-Putin summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, Warren received a call from the Russian journalist, who told him, "They've decided to give you a bike.' Warren said a document he received indicated the gift was arranged through the Russian Embassy in the U.S., which did not immediately return a message Tuesday. Warren said he initially thought it might be a scam. But after Putin and Trump departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson following their three-hour summit last Friday, he got another call informing him the bike was at the base. He was directed to go to an Anchorage hotel the next day for the handoff. He went with his wife, and there in the parking lot, along with six men he assumed to be Russians, was the olive-green motorcycle, valued at $22,000. "I dropped my jaw,' he said. "I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'' All the Russians asked in return was to take his picture and interview him, he said: "If they want something from me, they're gonna be sorely disappointed.' Two reporters and someone from the consulate jumped on the bike with him, and he drove slowly around the parking lot while a cameraman ran alongside and filmed it. The only reservation he had about taking the Ural is that he might somehow be implicated in some nefarious Russian scheme. Warren said he doesn't want a "bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. … I don't want this for my family.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Alaska man gifted motorcycle by Russian government after viral interview
He rode off with a new motorcycle, courtesy of the Russian government. Mr Putin's delegation gifted Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector for the Municipality of Anchorage, a Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar, one week after a television crew's interview with Mr Warren went viral in Russia. The motorcycle company, founded in 1941 in western Siberia, now assembles its bikes in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, and distributes them through a team based in Woodinville, Washington. Mr Warren already owned one Ural motorcycle, purchased from a neighbour. He was out running errands on it a week before the summit when a Russian television crew saw him and asked for an interview. Mr Warren told the crew about his difficulty obtaining parts for the bike because of supply-and-demand issues. "It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because I'm really just a super-duper normal guy," Mr Warren said on Tuesday. "They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think it's cool." On August 13, two days before the Trump-Putin summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, Mr Warren received a call from the Russian journalist, who told him: "They've decided to give you a bike." Mr Warren said a document he received indicated the gift was arranged through the Russian Embassy in the US. Mr Warren said he initially thought it might be a scam. But after Mr Putin and Mr Trump departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson following their three-hour summit last Friday, he got another call informing him the bike was at the base. ADVERTISEMENT He was directed to go to an Anchorage hotel the next day for the handover. He went with his wife, and there in the car park - along with six men he assumed to be Russians, was the olive-green motorcycle, valued at 22,000 dollars (£16,000). "I dropped my jaw," he said. "I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'" All the Russians asked in return was to take his picture and interview him, he said: "If they want something from me, they're gonna be sorely disappointed." Two reporters and someone from the consulate jumped on the bike with him, and he drove slowly around the car park while a cameraman ran alongside and filmed it. The only reservation he had about taking the Ural is that he might somehow be implicated in some nefarious Russian scheme. Mr Warren said he does not want a "bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. ... I don't want this for my family". When he was signing the paperwork taking ownership of the motorcycle from the Russian embassy, he noticed it was manufactured on August 12. "The obvious thing here is that it rolled off the showroom floor and slid into a jet within probably 24 hours," he said.
