Masha and the Bear to Leave Russia, But Not the Screens

The popular animated series 'Masha and the Bear' will see its studio ceasing operations in Russia. Journalist Ivan Ilyin has announced that mass layoffs have begun at the Moscow office of the studio 'Animaccord,' which created the series. The last animators are set to be released from their positions by June 30, after which the studio's development will only be handled by its headquarters in Cyprus.

According to the journalist, the studio decided to leave the Russian Federation due to difficulties in withdrawing funds, opportunities for officials to appropriate the project's success, attempts to present the series politically, and dissatisfaction from the franchise's founder, artist Oleg Kuzovkov, regarding the release of new episodes created without his script.

At the same time, the director of Animaccord denied rumors of 'Masha and the Bear' leaving Russia. Dmitry Loveyko, the studio's managing director, labeled the information about the closure of the Moscow office as inaccurate in an interview with the 'Podem' channel. However, he did not explain what aspect of the information was incorrect.

"This is not true. But I cannot comment. 'Masha and the Bear' remains. I am the director of the 'Masha and the Bear' film," he stated.

"Everyone has long known that the copyright holder for the 'Masha and the Bear' project is in Cyprus. There were simply offices in Moscow and Cyprus. The Moscow office is undergoing restructuring, but the fact that we are closing it... No one is planning to remove 'Masha' from the screens," a source from Animaccord's management told Readovka.

It is worth mentioning that the animated series has been broadcast in 42 languages since January 2009 and enjoys immense popularity worldwide.

Additionally, the 'Animaccord' studio was founded by producer and entrepreneur Dmitry Loveyko and animator Oleg Kuzovkov, who were then seeking funding for the 'Masha and the Bear' project. Loveyko previously stated that Kuzovkov was the creator of the series' concept, and he approached him with ready-made characters and scripts for the first episodes.