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As you can tell from the picture, this is some kind of dragon.  It has been the symbol of Kazan, Russia since the 1730, so it has a solid reputation.  Although, it has changed over the years from what I’ve read.

The Zilant isn’t exactly a dragon or a wyvern.  It’s kind of in between, so it stands on its own legs.  Originally, it four chicken legs, the body of a bird, and the tail of a serpent.  This changed due to Western influence and it developed a more reptilian visage similar to that of a wyvern.  So, it went down to two legs, which are sometimes depicted as arms, and a serpentine body.  The chicken parts were reduced to the claws and it developed the ability to breathe fire.

The Zilant also went from a positive image to a negative one, but now it appears to be back to being positive.  Part of this was the influence of invaders who saw the creature on flags and pushed the ‘flying evil serpent’ concept.  This changed the Zilant’s background and maybe responsible for it having a contradictory history.  Sometimes, it is a terrifying creature and other times it is not.  Really depended on who was telling the story and what time period.

A story that I kept finding about the Zilant had it as a two-headed serpent.  One head ate grass and the other swallowed virgins and children.  A young khan wanted to get rid of the Zilant and the other large snakes.  He was told to build a pile of straw and wood, which would attract them after they emerged from hibernation.  The pile was set on fire and the snakes died, but also released toxic gas.  The Zilant escaped to a lake where it is said to live and still take vengeance on the town.  Another version has it turn into a spirit that creates an underground kingdom.

There is another version of that story, which cuts out the escape to the lake.  Instead, the Zilant tries to get revenge on the knight who was told to set the pile on fire.  It’s a long chase and then a big battle.  The knight is cut into six pieces, but he used his poisoned pike to kill the Zilant as well.

A third version has the Zilant return to a nearby cave.  It would get a drink from the black lake and terrorize the village.  People tried to appease him through tributes, which ranged from regular food to virgins.  This couldn’t go on forever, so they eventually got a wizard to kill him.

Everything else I found was connected to movies, fantasy rpgs, and books.  So, the Zilant is a popular creature in fiction.  It’s folklore history seems to be that one story and then becoming the symbol of Kazan.