Ukraine Bans Viewing of Popular Masha and the Bear Cartoon

This was reported by RBK .

It was reported that sanctions had been imposed on the studio producing the animated series, Animakkord Studio, its founder and CEO, as well as the series’ screenwriter, director and producer, co-author, and owner of the cartoon’s rights.

These restrictions for a period of 10 years are to remain in force.

According to the Ukrainian side, the animated series spreads ideas and views sympathetic to Russia under the guise of content intended for children. Officials believe that such content could threaten the country’s national security.

Plans are underway to block the animated series on platforms

Ukraine’s Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna said the sanctions create a legal basis for blocking the animated series’ content within the country.

Ukraine may also appeal to international platforms such as Netflix and YouTube, asking them to end cooperation with the sanctioned individuals, stop monetizing the content, and restrict its distribution.

The animated series has been viewed billions of times

For reference, Masha and the Bear was created based on a Russian folk tale and tells the story of the girl and the bear’s various adventures.

The animated series is considered one of the most popular animation projects in YouTube’s history. Its Masha Plus Porridge (“Masha Plus Kasha”), a seven-minute episode, has been viewed more than 4.6 billion times.

This figure made the episode one of the most-viewed animated videos on YouTube. The project was also included in the Guinness World Records as one of the platform’s most popular animated videos.