However, the show has been criticised by a Ukrainian state-backed body and Estonia\u2019s minister for foreign affairs as a form of Russian \u201csoft power\u201d.<\/p>\n
With the series recently recommissioned for Netflix<\/a> and available on ITV\u2019s digital platform, ITVX, a group of Liberal Democrat, Labour, Conservative, Green, SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs have written to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, asking her to intervene.<\/p>\n The letter, overseen by the Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon and signed by more than 50 other MPs, argues that some of four-year-old Masha\u2019s antics amount to \u201cpropaganda content\u201d that is \u201cnot subtle\u201d.<\/p>\n The MPs point to an episode in which Masha is shown wearing what appears to be a tank-crew hat and Soviet-era uniform, and another in which she wears, according to the MPs, what appears to be a Soviet border guard\u2019s cap, historically associated with the NKVD \u2013 the secret police agency of the Soviet Union. They say the agency was \u201cresponsible for mass deportations, executions and the persecution of tens of millions of people\u201d.<\/p>\n They said the imagery was also used on the English-language X account of the show\u2019s studio, Animaccord, a Russian animation studio headquartered in Cyprus. The post features the caption<\/a>: \u201cA real army girl with a butterfly net! Who hoo, I\u2019m in the army now!\u201d<\/p>\n The MPs said this was \u201cactively normalising Soviet military iconography for a global audience of young children\u201d.<\/p>\n The MPs write: \u201cWe are writing to demand urgent government action following Netflix\u2019s announcement that it has acquired two new seasons of the Russian animated series Masha and the Bear and extended its licensing agreement for existing seasons and spin-offs across more than 100 countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThis content is also streamed in the United Kingdom on ITVX. British children are being reached through both a major global streaming platform and a prominent domestic broadcaster and we believe this is unacceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cBritish parents have a right to expect that content reaching their children through licensed platforms has been subject to proper scrutiny, especially where credible concerns about state propaganda have been raised by our allies.\u201d<\/p>\n They pointed to comments by Ukraine\u2019s Center for Countering Disinformation, which is backed by the Ukrainian government. It said Masha and the Bear was \u201cnot just a cartoon, but an instrument of Russian soft power\u201d, arguing it featured \u201cthe mockery of other nations\u2019 traditions through Masha\u2019s behaviour, and the normalisation of Soviet symbols and militaristic themes\u201d.<\/p>\n Animaccord has strongly disputed the claims, stating it is a private business making a popular children\u2019s show. It said it had never had any state funding.<\/p>\n Melanie Bonvicino, a spokesperson for Animaccord, said: \u201cMy client categorically rejects the false and defamatory suggestion that Masha and the Bear is associated with propaganda.<\/p>\n
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