Krasnoyarsk Dog Yermak Stars in Series Despite Bad Temper
For two years, the series «Ronin» was filmed near Krasnoyarsk. It features not only familiar local landscapes — Krasnoyarsk residents were actively recruited as extras, and the dog Yermak also got a role in the series. NGS24.RU correspondent Tatyana Zarva spoke with the dog«s owner and found out how easy it was to turn this tailed hooligan into an actor.
He Hugged Dmitry Palamarchuk
The series «Ronin» began filming in 2024. Our hero — a German shepherd named Yermak appeared in the very first episode of the first season. He is already an adult boy — he is seven years old and accustomed to the camera, having participated in photoshoots several times, and he and his owner Viktor Petrov were also filmed for Pervy Kanal (Channel One).
«We had a children»s project, it was called «Weekend Dog,» we held classes at a children«s center, this went on for about six months. Sometimes other dogs were brought in, and we taught the children proper contact with animals: showing how to interact, how not to be afraid. First, we were shown on Prima TV, and then on the same day, Channel One saw it and filmed a story with us,» says Viktor.
Therefore, as Viktor recalls, Yermak had no problems interacting on set. The dog calmly allowed himself to be petted or hugged. By the way, the footage also captured a moment of tenderness — postman Ivan Doronin delivers a package to the recipient, and Yermak greets him, wagging his tail and allowing himself to be petted.
In life, Yermak is the same — a very tactile dog who demands a lot of attention, even from correspondents he sees for the first time. While we are petting him, Viktor Petrov tells how his four-legged friend got into film:
«Someone already there, a »third« person, simply recommended me [to the filming crew]. In general, I am always open to such experiences, I like filming. <...> When they asked for [Yermak], I gladly agreed. Plus, it didn»t cause me any difficulties because by that time, I already had a lot of filming experience,« recalls Viktor.
First, Viktor and Yermak passed an «audition,» they met with the filming crew so they could understand if the dog suited them. They checked the quality of the dog«s training and his appearance. Yermak, of course, was approved immediately (and how could you refuse, looking into those deep dark eyes? — Author»s note), then Viktor was informed of the filming date, which took place on Mana. For the role, Yermak«s owner admits, no special preparation was needed.
«There was no special preparation. I wasn»t warned about what would be there, but again, I didn«t have any strong anxiety about it. I understood that, on average, [in film] nothing super complicated ever happens,» says Viktor.
Viktor himself has been working as a dog trainer for 12 years, so he knows how to ask his dog to perform a specific action. So on set, Viktor was told what to do, and he helped Yermak perform part of his role.
«That is, on camera it looks as if he is running to [the character], but off-camera there»s a ball hidden in a pocket that the dog is running after. It«s generally a funny topic when, with experience, you watch all the shots and some scenes with dogs in movies. You can always see that the dog seems to be barking at someone, but you see that it»s barking slightly to the side,« explains Viktor.
The filming took no more than two hours. During this time, the dog needed to lie still, then run up to the main character of the series and return to his place. Yermak was helped, among other things, by the pre-established interaction with the filming crew.
«His calm attitude towards people also helped. That is, when we arrived, the filming team and the actor immediately easily found some connection with him, we didn»t have to, so to speak, jump through hoops to get interaction between them,« says the Krasnoyarsk resident.
Yermak is not only a television star but also a star of Viktor«s personal blog. If you go to his Telegram channel or Instagram* (an extremist organization, activities prohibited in the Russian Federation), the dog is in almost every photo or video.
Yermak from Volchiy Potok
Now, Yermak and Viktor can«t imagine life without each other, but it wasn»t always like that. Initially, Yermak was intended as a gift for a girlfriend, but after the breakup, Viktor decided to keep him.
«When we broke up, it was objectively not very comfortable for her to take [the dog], because sometimes it doesn»t work out. And I understood that this is my dog, despite the fact that she really wanted it, and it was a gift for her, but it turned out to be my dog,« says Viktor.
At that time, Yermak was only one and a half years old, and he calmly endured the separation from his former owner. After the breakup, Yermak and Viktor were left alone, and they have lived that way ever since.
Before Yermak, Viktor had another dog — a Doberman named Roy. He knew over 60 commands, won prizes, and was very athletic. Yermak also knows many commands, but according to Viktor, it«s not as important to him anymore.
«You see, the phrase »Knows commands« is very stretchy, because each command has context, and accordingly, he can do it in the classical sense. Just some commands, well maybe a dozen can be counted that are somehow named, but the actions themselves, there are an infinite number, depending on the context,» adds Viktor.
During the interview, Yermak showed us the commands «Ashamed,» «Bunny,» gave his paw to his owner, and even stirred up the editorial office with his loud bark. By the way, Yermak is not just a German shepherd, he has a rich pedigree, hence his unusual coloration.
«This is called a zonary coloration, he is the grandson of a world champion in training. In 2013, his grandfather became champion. His father is from Slovakia, his grandmother is from the Czech Republic. Yermak is a blue-blooded dog, so to speak,» explains Viktor.
As befits a «blue-blooded» dog, he doesn«t let just any mongrel near him. In his short life, Yermak has developed his own social circle.
«He doesn»t really like other dogs, I made some small mistakes in his socialization. He doesn«t have such super positive experience communicating with other dogs, and accordingly, we just ignore them. Of course, there are dogs that I taught him to play with,» adds the Krasnoyarsk resident.
Yermak himself is quite large (in the photo he seems smaller — Author«s note), but he can sleep with Viktor, though also depending on his mood — sometimes he might go to the sofa. Yermak doesn»t have affectionate nicknames, and if he needs to be scolded, Viktor says the following:
«Where are you going, you beast?» — the man laughs.
Viktor explains — it doesn«t matter at all what exactly you say to the dog, it»s better to choose the right intonation, that«s what dogs react to.
To Yermak«s rich pedigree, it turns out, an unusual name was attached, unlikely if you need to call the dog on the street, Viktor would shout it fully, but as a small puppy he was named Yermak from Volchiy Potok.
«There is the kennel name and there is the call name. When a litter is born in the kennel, there is a specific letter for what letter the names will start with. When he was born — it was the letter »E.« And when I found out, I immediately understood it would be either Yermak or Yegor. The second part of the name is the kennel name. And so, actually, he is Yermak from Volchiy Potok,» explains the dog«s owner.
«He Is a Benchmark for Many»
Viktor himself says that Yermak is a local star. On the street, people often approach him to take photos because of his coloration, which resembles a wolf«s. Viktor doesn»t mind either, so mostly in summer they go for walks on Mira Avenue and other central streets.
«We just took coffee and went »to show off« and very many people got acquainted, took photos with him, and an incredible number of times asked if he is a wolf,» says Viktor.
Many fans came to Yermak because of Viktor«s blog on social networks, the Krasnoyarsk resident says that some even consider the dog an idol.
«I»m not afraid of this word, he is a certain benchmark for many, because on social networks we show a specific picture, it is beautiful and bright,« explains Viktor, »where I live, we go to all the shops, everywhere we go, they constantly pet him, they treat him calmly.«
Not all Krasnoyarsk residents treat dogs with love, so sometimes during walks Viktor and Yermak encounter negativity. But according to Viktor«s observations, this negativity has decreased over time.
«Maybe I became less fixated on it. Earlier, there was definitely a moment when I noticed all the worried people and reacted to it. Now I behave quite confidently and he behaves adequately,» the man clarifies.
In theory, says the Krasnoyarsk resident, Yermak can show aggression, like any other dog, but Viktor worked on this with him, as the man has a young nephew and he wanted Yermak to be loyal to him.
Viktor recalls that once he couldn«t handle Yermak and wanted to return him. Even despite having experience training a Doberman.
«I saw that something was completely wrong. Few believe that I literally wanted to return him because I couldn»t handle him. You could say that life was going a bit downhill. But it«s not only, of course, the dog influencing, rather, with my perception of the world, but the dog participated in it too,» says Viktor.
Viktor survived this crisis period, now he travels with the dog and loves him very much. When asked what Yermak is like, the man answered as follows:
«Awesome, gorgeous, beautiful, cool, tender, contact-friendly, tactile, bright,» lists the man.
Earlier, NGS24.RU correspondent Tatyana Zarva told in more detail about Yermak«s owner — Viktor Petrov. How he went from being a metallurgist to a dog trainer and what to do if a dog doesn»t listen to you — read in this article.
Earlier, NGS24.RU reported on the filming of the series «Ronin» in summer 2025. There was also a dog that «attached» itself to the filming crew, and later — they found a role for him too.
In addition, we published news that the lead actor of the series, Dmitry Palamarchuk, while in the Krasnoyarsk region, helped a shelter dog find a new home. This puppy also partially participated in the filming of the series.
