Russia Says Raccoon Stolen from Ukraine is Raising Morale—'He Motivates Us'

Moscow's withdrawal from Kherson may have been the subject of gloomy soul-searching across state media, but Russian television has touted the small boost to morale caused by a raccoon from a zoo in the southern Ukrainian city.

A segment on the channel Russia 1's regional slot from the city of Kostroma described how the small animal had warmed the hearts and fired up the souls of a Russian paratrooper unit.

Described as a "little fighter" by the anchor, the piece said that the animal, whose call name was chosen as "Kherson" following an online poll, was "a lad in the prime of his life."

Along with other animals, it had been "evacuated" two weeks ago from the zoo in the city, which was recaptured by Ukrainian forces.

One paratrooper recounted how the racoon was now a fixture of the trenches where he was fed a daily diet of fish, nuts and grapes.

The animal was given a blue-striped telnyashka undershirt, which is standard issue for Russian troops, and the report described how his antics prompted "smiles and affection" from the paratroopers.

"He motivates us. He just drives us towards further victories," said the unnamed paratrooper in comments that come on the heels of Russia's latest humiliating retreat. "Of course victory will be ours. The raccoon has become a symbol of our unit."

The clip was shared by BBC Monitoring's Francis Scarr, who wrote: "Just when you thought Russian TV could no longer surprise you, they produce this."

"Rossiya 1's regional news slot in Kostroma has aired a report on the raccoon "evacuated" (stolen) from Kherson zoo," he added.

Earlier this month, media outlets shared a video in which a racoon was among other animals reportedly stolen from the zoo. Ukraine's ministry of defense tweeted that the animal was among the "prized loot," which included paintings, antiquities and historic manuscripts. "Steal a raccoon and Die," the tweet added.

The raccoon has more than 53,000 followers on his Telegram channel. A post on Tuesday seemingly aimed at the raccoon's younger followers encouraged correspondence for Russian soldiers. "Even the most serious and formidable paratroopers wear children's drawings and letters in bulletproof vests," it said.

Other Unlikely Military Mascots

Animals have frequently been used as mascots to raise morale during a war. Togo was the cat mascot of the British battleship HMS Dreadnought in World War I.

Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III is a soldierly king penguin who resides in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland, and is the mascot and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King's Guard.

Meanwhile, the bulldog Chesty XV is the latest mascot of the United States Marine Corps. The animal became the successor to his predecessor Chesty XIV in 2018.