MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
"Masha And The Bear" is a massively popular animated series that's become an unexpected new front in the war between Russia and Ukraine. NPR's Charles Maynes is in Moscow to explain why. Good morning, Charles.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So for people who have never seen this series, set it up for us.
MAYNES: Yeah, yeah. Sure. It's an animated cartoon that launched in 2009 that's loosely based on a Russian fairy tale. And it tells the story of a precocious young girl named Masha who befriends and kind of torments a retired circus bear in a village set somewhere in Russia. He's - she's always messing up his house. And the show's insanely popular, dubbed in dozens of languages worldwide. The "Masha" YouTube channel carries 55 million subscribers. And several episodes rank among the most-watched cartoons, with billions of views. And the show's expanded its reach after Netflix picked it up a few years ago, even extending the deal this year.
MARTIN: Sounds a little like "Goldilocks And The Three Bears." She keeps, like, you know, getting in his space and messing it up. So super popular kids' show from Russia. What's the problem?
MAYNES: Well, Masha and her bear are now caught up in the cultural animosities that have come with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where some see a hit Russian children's show. Others, primarily in Ukraine but not only, see Russian soft power at work. And so last week, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sanctioned the company behind the show, Animaccord. According to Zelenskyy, their show spreads pro-Russian narratives disguised as children's content and even poses a threat to Ukraine's national security.
MARTIN: Is there evidence of that?
MAYNES: Well, Animaccord, which is currently registered in Cyprus now, says no, and the Kremlin has mocked these allegations. Let's listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DMITRY PESKOV: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: So here, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that, yes, this cartoon series has conquered the world, but through propaganda in the best sense of the word - by highlighting the finest traits in people. You know, and Peskov has a point. The show obviously resonates with young audiences for a reason. They like it, including kids, by the way, in Ukraine, who aren't tuned into politics per se.
That said, it is a Russian show. And so, yeah, it's full of Russian cultural cues - samovars, balalaikas, that sort of thing. Not to mention the bear, often seen as a symbol of Russian strength and of - to some, menace. And so with all that comes moments that are ripe for interpretation or misinterpretation. Like this one, where the bear, trying to defend his garden from a hungry rabbit, recruits Masha to police his patch and gives her a Soviet military cap. Here's Masha in the English version from YouTube.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MASHA AND THE BEAR")
ELSIE FISHER: (As Masha) Woo-hoo. I am right now in the army.
MAYNES: So are we watching a platforming of Russian militarism, a shadow play based on current Russian geopolitics? Or is this just a little girl and a bear who, for God knows what reason, puts up with her? I mean, everyone brings their baggage to the garden.
MARTIN: You know, it's interesting. I'm - as I'm listening to this, I'm just wondering if these controversies extend beyond just, you know, Masha.
MAYNES: You know, I think they do. I mean, both sides are grappling with some version of this. Russia, for example, bans Ukrainian music and films. People have gone to jail for singing Ukrainian songs or reciting a Ukrainian poem. Meanwhile, Ukraine has grown highly critical of Russian cultural products, even masterworks that many now view through an imperial or, they would argue, chauvinistic lens.
So, you know - so maybe that means not staging a ballet by Tchaikovsky or shelving novels by Russian writers like Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy. Not surprisingly, the Kremlin seizes on any canceling of Russian culture to drive passions here. But to state the obvious when it comes to "Masha And The Bear," if Ukraine and Russia are fighting over a cartoon, it's hard to see how we're remotely close to stopping the actual fighting on the front line.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Charles Maynes in Moscow. Charles, thank you.
MAYNES: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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