This step was taken to ban the series for children, which the minister condemned as a tool of Russian propaganda.
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The animated film about a mischievous girl and a retired circus bear has become a cult in Russia.
On the YouTube platform alone, it has been viewed tens of billions of times, is available in about 100 countries, and has received several extensions.
However, in Ukraine and its allies, including the United Kingdom and Estonia, it has also faced criticism for portraying Russia in a positive light and being a tool of Moscow’s soft power.
“Ukraine has imposed sanctions on the producers and distributors of the Russian animated series ‘Masha and the Bear’,” announced Ukraine’s Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna on the social network X.
“This provides a legal basis to block this content in Ukraine and to engage international platforms to restrict its monetization and distribution,” said T. Berezhna, adding that “there is no place for Russian propaganda on children’s screens.”
What the Kremlin says
The Kremlin downplays these accusations.
Asked about the sanctions, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the animated series “conquered the world” because it allegedly promotes “the best human qualities.”
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“The fact that Ukraine has started a war even against animated films is probably another illustration of the ugly face of Ukrainian officials,” D. Peskov told journalists.
The sanctions, imposed by a decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, target the Russian studio “Animaccord” that created the animated film, its founder, as well as the series’ scriptwriter and director.
In June, Ukraine protested against Netflix’s decision to acquire the rights to broadcast new seasons of “Masha and the Bear.”
Since 2022, when the Kremlin began its invasion of Ukraine, due to boycotts and official restrictions, Russian cultural products have become less widespread in Ukraine.
However, according to the newspaper “Ukraijnska pravda,” in August 2025, the Ukrainian “Masha and the Bear” YouTube channel ranked first among the most popular children’s channels in the war-torn country.
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It currently has more than 18 million subscribers.
