News · 2 July 2026
MPs want Russian cartoon Masha and Bear off UK screens
Illustration: AI-generated for editorial context. Not photographic evidence.
A cross-party group of over 50 MPs is urging ministers to examine if the popular Russian children's cartoon, Masha and the Bear, should be stopped from broadcasting in the UK. They claim the show, available on Netflix and ITVX, contains Russian "soft power" propaganda, pointing to specific episodes with Soviet-era imagery. However, the animation studio, Animaccord, strongly denies these claims, stating it's a private business making a non-political show.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs