A St. Petersburg court has sentenced Oleg Kuvaev, creator of the animated series "Masyanya," to 4 years and 1 month in a general regime penal colony in absentia, according to infohub.kz.
The Telegram channel of St. Petersburg courts published the verdict against Oleg Kuvaev, creator of the "Masyanya" cartoons. He has long been designated a foreign agent in Russia.
"Kuvaev, while outside the Russian Federation, acting intentionally and aware of the unlawful nature of his actions, posted on the public YouTube channel 'Masyanya Kuvaeva' a video titled 'Masyanya. Episode 169. Idoliada,' accessible to an unlimited number of people. The video contains public calls for Russian Armed Forces servicemen to surrender, desert, and disobey orders from military commanders, as well as advertising for the 'I Want to Live' project — the 'Unified Center for Russian Servicemen's Surrender Appeals,' created with the support of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The video has been viewed at least 1,283,890 times, confirming its public and openly accessible nature," the court said.
He was also accused of evading the duties of a foreign agent. He was sentenced in absentia to 4 years and 1 month in a general regime penal colony, with a 4-year ban on activities related to posting publications online.
"Masyanya," according to the satirical series' website, is a story of simple cartoons about cheerful and simple things in life. About evergreen optimism, life-affirming cynicism, and how wonderful life is.
The main character is a girl named Masyanya and a couple of her friends, Khryundel and Lokhmaty. Sometimes a character named Lyaska appears — a glamorous girl from Moscow.
The author and illustrator is Oleg Kuvaev. He was born in 1967 in St. Petersburg. Until 2001, before he began working in animation, he was interested in sculpture and painting. Later, his interest in computer graphics grew into work creating animated series.