The ZIL-118 Yunost ("Youth") is a microbus built by Zavod imeni Likhachova (Russian: Завод имени Лихачёва, Factory named for Likhacov), or ZIL.

Such vehicles were purchased for a special purpose garage, the Ministry of Defense, the KGB, for the transportation of residents of the Intourist hotel and some others.

During the 1990s, ZIL found itself in a difficult position in the market, as demand for 6-ton trucks such as the ZIL-130 started decreasing.

Eventually, the ZIL-5301 "Bull" was developed, which replaced all these vehicles, including both the ZIL-3207 and 3302, as it was available as both a flatbed truck and bus.

In order to expanse their lineup and create a more effective competitor for the GAZelle, as the ZIL-5301 was slightly larger and heavier and competed with the similarly-sized GAZ Valdai, it was decided to take the cab and engine of the ZIL-3302 and install it on a modified ZIL-5301 chassis.