Russian Soldier Slams 'Traitors' Who Stole His Raccoon

A raccoon which became the face of a prominent military blog linked to Russia's airborne forces has reportedly been taken from Ukrainian territory in a possible move to tighten censorship of commentary on Moscow's war effort.

Russian forces stole the animal from a zoo in November 2022 when withdrawing from the west bank of Kherson Oblast. Named Hersi, it became a mascot for a military blogger's Telegram account "Raccoon from Kherson," which gave updates about the war and helped fundraise for Russian forces.

The account claimed to have raised over 20 million rubles ($212,000) for Russia's forces, funds which were used to purchase beds, generators and spare parts for vehicles. The animal also inspired children to send letters and drawings for soldiers which boosted morale.

But in what appeared to be a heartfelt Telegram post on Saturday to its more than 78,000 followers, the account of the unnamed milblogger said Hersi had left the scene of the war "without our knowledge" and that for those responsible, "God will be the judge."

"Traitors will always be traitors to everyone," added the post which said that the project had ended with "betrayal." Followers were urged to donate to a different account although it said equipment purchased by funds raised would still get to troops in Luhansk oblast, in eastern Ukraine.

The milblogger also announced that he had been forced to shut down his Telegram channel.

Since then, the account was updated with a video of the raccoon at an unspecified location and a post on Monday which said there were "more questions than answers... but the truth will triumph," and that "the main thing is that Hersi is doing well."

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Sunday that the fate of the raccoon was unknown but that its disappearance may have been linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense seeking to tighten censorship of military bloggers posting about the war.

Some milbloggers have been highly critical of the Russian government and military top brass's handling of the war in Ukraine. One of the most high-profile milbloggers, former military commander Igor Girkin, was detained at his home in July and faces charges of making calls for extremist activities.

Milbloggers have also provided valuable insights into what is happening on the ground in the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian Kherson Oblast Military Administration adviser Serhiy Khlan criticized the Russians for losing the raccoon in a post on Facebook in which he said the animal had once attacked the Moscow-installed head of Kherson Oblast, Vladimir Saldo.

Newsweek has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Russian troops were accused of stealing animals from the zoo in Kherson including wolves, donkeys and squirrels, with Kremlin media outlets widely reporting these incidents as a positive aspect of their humiliating withdrawal from the city last November.

One Russian paratrooper adopted a raccoon which became a fixture of the trenches where he was fed a daily diet of fish, nuts and grapes. The animal was the subject of a report on Russian state television in which one Russian soldier spoke of how "he motivates us" and "drives us towards further victories."