{"id":1161034,"date":"2026-08-21T10:27:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1161034\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T10:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T10:27:18","slug":"ukraine-sanctions-masha-and-the-bear-creators-over-alleged-kremlin-propaganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1161034\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine Sanctions \u2018Masha and the Bear\u2019 Creators Over Alleged Kremlin Propaganda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine has imposed sanctions on the creators of the popular animated series \u201cMasha and the Bear\u201d\u00a0for allegedly spreading \u201cpro-Russia narratives\u201d\u00a0and posing a threat to national security, according to a decree<\/a> signed Thursday by President Volodymyr Zelensky.<\/p>\n

The measures target Animaccord Animation Studio \u2014 the production company behind the series \u2014 alongside its founder and chief executive. So, too, were the director, screenwriter and co-producer of\u00a0\u201cMasha and the Bear\u201d\u00a0sanctioned.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian officials accused\u00a0\u201cMasha and the Bear,\u201d which has been translated into dozens of languages and is watched worldwide, of generating revenue for the Russian state and disseminating Kremlin propaganda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must respond separately to Russian propaganda, especially when it is aimed at children and is distributed through large international platforms,\u201d said Vladyslav Vlasyuk, sanctions policy adviser to Zelensky.<\/p>\n

\t\topinion
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\t\t\t\tThe Unbearable Triviality of Canceling a Russian Cartoon
\n\t\t\tRead more
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, a group of British lawmakers sent an open letter<\/a> to U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy urging streaming platforms to pull \u201cMasha and the Bear.\u201d The letter claimed certain episodes in the series contain Russian propaganda.<\/p>\n

Animaccord Studios representative Melanie Bonvicino called the claims \u201cfalse and defamatory,\u201d emphasizing that the production studio operates independently and receives no funding from the Russian government.<\/p>\n

The Kremlin condemned<\/a> the Ukrainian sanctions on Friday, saying that targeting a children\u2019s cartoon \u201cshows once again the ugliness of the Kyiv regime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMasha and the Bear\u201d is\u00a0loosely based on a traditional Russian folktale and is one of the most popular shows of all time on\u00a0YouTube.<\/p>\n

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