 His experiences drinking and gambling with idle Russian soldiers gave Pushkin a first-hand account of the behaviors of 19th-century Russian soldiers, which is reflected in "The Shot".Furthermore, having lived in provincial Russia, Pushkin is familiar with the setting.From 1824 to 1826 Pushkin lived in his family's Mikhailovskoye Estate in the provinces of western Russia, about 300 km southwest of St. Petersburg.