JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the animation studio Animaccord, Melanie Bonvicino, denied allegations linking the popular cartoon series "Masha and the Bear" to Russian military propaganda content.
"My client firmly rejects the false accusations and slander that 'Masha and the Bear' is related to propaganda," Melanie said, quoting Antara.
Melanie emphasized that for almost two decades, the "Masha and the Bear" series has only broadcast universal themes about friendship, kindness, and imagination to entertain families in more than 100 countries.
"This series does not contain political messages, and any claims that say otherwise are not supported by its content at all," said Melanie.
Animaccord also ensures that they are private businesses that operate entirely according to the law and have never received funding from the government.
The statement was made by Animaccord after the character Masha in the animated series "Masha and the Bear" was protested by a group of members of Parliament in the UK for wearing a hat with a red five-pointed star symbol in one of the promotional image uploads.
They have written to Culture Minister Lisa Nandy, asking for intervention.
The lawmakers said the image was also used on the English-language X account of the show's studio, Animaccord, a Russian animation studio based in Cyprus.
The post featured the caption: "A real army girl with a butterfly net! Hore, I'm in the army now!"
According to the British parliament, Masha in one episode of "Masha and the Bear" was also dressed in something that looked like a Soviet Union border guard's hat, which is historically associated with the NKVD - the Soviet Union's secret police.
They said the body was "responsible for mass deportations, executions, and persecution of tens of millions of people".
The concern from the group of British parliamentarians is related to the comments of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, which stated "Masha and the Bear" as a tool of Russian soft power.
After the new global distribution deal for "Masha and the Bear" was announced last month, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna shared similar concerns with the British parliamentarian.
But the cartoon, which is loosely based on a traditional Russian oral folk tale, is one of the most popular shows of all time on YouTube.
One of the seven-minute episodes, "Recipe for Disaster", has been viewed more than 4.6 billion times on the site.
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