A St. Petersburg court has sentenced Oleg Kuvayev, the creator of the animated series "Masyanya," to four years and one month in prison in absentia. He was accused of inciting activities against state security and violating the rules for foreign agents, according to the press service of the St. Petersburg courts.

The charges stem from an episode of "Masyanya" that urged Russian soldiers to surrender and disregard orders, and advertised a Ukrainian project for Russian servicemen seeking to surrender. The court noted the video had over 1.2 million views. Kuvayev was also accused of failing to report to the Ministry of Justice of Russia, leading to his designation as a "foreign agent" in December 2023 for opposing the "special military operation" and fundraising for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.