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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Michael Savage Media editor

MPs seek to end UK broadcast of Russian ‘soft power’ cartoon Masha and the Bear

Masha United Kingdom Netflix ITVX
Still from Masha and the Bear showing a large but friendly looking cartoon bear holding a tiny girl aloft on its paw. The girl wears traditional-style Russian clothing in a pink embroidered pinafore dress and matching headscarf tied under her chin.
Masha and the Bear is one of the most popular shows of all time on YouTube, and has recently been recommissioned for Netflix. It is also available on ITVX. Photograph: PR Image

A cartoon for preschoolers depicting the adventures of a small girl and a retired circus bear may seem an unlikely source of parliamentary concern.

Yet a cross-party group of MPs has written to ministers urging them to examine whether they can stop Masha and the Bear from being broadcast in the UK, alleging it amounts to a cuddly form of Russian propaganda.

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