UK lawmakers call for ban on Russian cartoon Masha and the Bear

Lawmakers from across the UK political spectrum have called for the Russian-produced animated series “Masha and the Bear” to be banned in Britain.

According to The Guardian, a cross-party group of lawmakers from the Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Green Party, Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru sent a joint letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

In the letter, the lawmakers called for the cartoon to be removed from broadcast, arguing that it constitutes “covert Russian propaganda.”

The MPs cited scenes in which the main character, Masha, appears wearing military symbols associated with the Soviet era.

According to the letter, Masha wears headgear resembling a Soviet tank crew helmet in one episode, while another depicts her wearing a cap similar to that of border guards from the Soviet People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD).

The lawmakers argued that such visual elements “normalize Soviet military iconography” among the show’s global audience of young children.

The letter, led by Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon and signed by more than 50 lawmakers, said urgent action was needed after streaming platform Netflix acquired the rights to the cartoon’s new seasons. The MPs also described the show’s availability on ITVX in the UK as unacceptable.

Melanie Bonvicino, speaking on behalf of Russian animation studio Animaccord, the producer and distributor of the series, firmly rejected the allegations.

Bonvicino described the accusations of propaganda as “false and defamatory,” adding:

“For nearly two decades, Masha and the Bear has brought joy to families in more than 100 countries through universal themes of friendship, kindness and imagination. There is no political subtext in the series, and any suggestion to the contrary is entirely inconsistent with its content.”

Inspired by a Russian folk tale and centered on the adventures of a young girl and a bear, the animated series ranks among the most-watched productions in YouTube history.

The seven-minute episode “Recipe for Disaster” has been viewed more than 4.6 billion times, earning a Guinness World Record as the most-viewed animated video.

Entertainment industry publication Deadline reported that Netflix had acquired the rights to the series’ eighth and ninth seasons while renewing agreements for previous seasons and related spin-offs.

The series is broadcast in more than 100 countries, including the US, Canada, France, Portugal, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Nordic countries and the Benelux region.

Political criticism of the cartoon has surfaced before. In 2018, The Times described the series in an analysis as an instrument of Russia’s “soft propaganda.”

At the time, the Russian Embassy in London mocked the allegation, saying: “Are you going to put all animators on the EU sanctions list? Clearly, a determined and costly approach is required.”

Most recently, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also criticized Netflix’s decision, saying Masha and the Bear forms part of the Kremlin’s “soft power” and calling for “moral clarity in the face of Soviet symbols.”