Ukrainians are massively canceling Netflix after the acquisition of a new season of the Russian animated series "Masha and the Bear"
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian users are massively canceling Netflix after the service acquired new seasons of the Russian animated series "Masha and the Bear". On social media, they are posting screenshots of deleted accounts and urging the company to review its policy regarding Russian content.
The decision of the streaming service Netflix to acquire the rights to new seasons of the Russian animated series "Masha and the Bear" and extend the license for previous ones has sparked a wave of outrage among Ukrainian users. Social media is seeing an increasing number of reports of subscription cancellations to the platform, and users are calling on the company to review its policy regarding Russian content, reports UNN.
Details
After information emerged about the expansion of Netflix's cooperation with the producers of the animated series, Ukrainian users began posting screenshots of deleted accounts and declaring their refusal of the service. Many emphasize that they consider it unacceptable to promote a Russian product during the full-scale war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.
Additional discussion was sparked by the position of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, which has repeatedly drawn attention to Russia's use of cultural products as a tool to influence international audiences.
The CCD notes that the Russian authorities have invested for years in promoting their own cultural content abroad, using cartoons, films, and TV series as an element of so-called "soft power."
Special attention is paid there to the children's audience, which is the most susceptible to such content.
Against this backdrop, some Ukrainian users are demanding public explanations from Netflix regarding cooperation with Russian rights holders.
Social media also features calls for international companies to more carefully assess reputational risks when concluding agreements with content producers from the aggressor state.
Currently, Netflix has not officially commented on the reaction of Ukrainian users to the decision to continue airing the animated series "Masha and the Bear."