We have this little creature in the northern Chelyabinsk region, too, but I haven't seen it in our lakes and rivers for several years. Nice photo.
Vera Ketova, thank you! We have a lot of these little creatures now. There are plenty of bodies of water, and no one bothers them. Muskrat hats have gone out of fashion. It's interesting to watch them. Now they're building lodges for the winter.