Ukraine Sanctions 'Masha and the Bear' Producers, Targeting 54 Billion YouTube Views
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Aug 21
Ukraine Sanctions 'Masha and the Bear' Producers, Targeting 54 Billion YouTube Views
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Aug 21
Summary
Kyiv said the sanctions create legal grounds to block "Masha and the Bear" in Ukraine and press platforms such as YouTube and Netflix to curb its monetization and distribution.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decree targets the studio, the show's founder, scriptwriter and director, with Ukraine seeking to have partners mirror the restrictions abroad.
Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna said the show's Ukrainian-language channel drew 800 million views in 2025; globally it had topped 54 billion YouTube views by June 2026.
Animaccord rejected propaganda claims as false, while the Kremlin mocked Kyiv for waging a "war against cartoons" over a series Ukraine says spreads pro-Russia narratives.
The move escalates a dispute running since at least 2017 and sharpened after Netflix acquired new-season rights in June, amid wider Ukrainian sanctions on Russian propaganda networks.