UK MPs seek ban on Russian cartoon Masha and the Bear
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- A cross-party group of MPs has written to UK ministers raising concerns that the Russian children's cartoon 'Masha and the Bear' contains unsubtle 'propaganda content'.
- 'Masha and the Bear' is a Russian animated series for preschoolers about a small girl and a retired circus bear, and the MPs are seeking to end its broadcast in the UK.
Why it matters: The campaign targets a specific piece of Russian soft power reaching British children, with MPs using formal correspondence to ministers to push for removal from UK broadcasting — making the cartoon's availability, rather than its content rating, the political flashpoint.
