January 24, 2022

Put Those Cute Faces to Work!


Put Those Cute Faces to Work!
Wouldn't you want to say hi? Flickr user David Slater

With the addition of several cuddly bandits, Voronezh businessman Yuri Pavlov's shop on Patriot Avenue has become a place where drivers come for more than just new tires.

By adding a comfortable living space for four friendly raccoons in his tire shop, Yuri's intention was simply to keep himself and his coworkers from feeling lonely. However, the tiny petting zoo has turned his business into a local attraction, with customers coming in just to play with the fluffy mischief-makers. In fact, the raccoons have become the mascots of the shop, even making their appearance on the business's emblem. (Now that's what we call rags to riches!)

Yuri got the first three of his raccoons (Shipon, Tikhon, and Roni) nearly six years ago at a pet shop in Krasnodar. More recently, he adopted the fourth of the bunch, Businka.

The raccoons, though friendly and playful with customers, do get into their fair share of trouble. A small jar hangs on the animals' enclosure for tips to help with their upkeep, and Yuri noticed one day that 2000 rubles (about $25) had been stolen from the jar and made into bedding.

In case you're interested in other famous Russian animals, we have a treat for you!

 

You Might Also Like

Boozy Raccoon
  • August 06, 2021

Boozy Raccoon

Trash-panda no more, this raccoon has developed a hankering for fine wine. 
Ferreting Into Adventure
  • June 01, 2021

Ferreting Into Adventure

The world's luckiest ferret is set to go on the vacation of a lifetime in the Altai mountains. 
Missing Raccoon, Anyone?
  • March 23, 2021

Missing Raccoon, Anyone?

In which a raccoon is returned safely back home— but not to the habitat you might expect. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955