For ‘Masyanya’, the Russian prosecutor demands almost six years in a penal colony: Oleg Kuvaev is being tried in absentia while he lives in Israel

On October 2, 2026, “Mediazona” reported from the Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg: the prosecution demanded in absentia to sentence the creator of the cult animated series “Masyanya,” Oleg Kuvaev, to 5 years and 11 months in a general regime colony. This is not yet about a verdict — the court’s decision is to be announced on October 5.

Author: Anton Pshedinsky

Kuvaev is charged with two criminal offenses: public calls for activities against the security of Russia via the internet and failure to fulfill the duties of a so-called “foreign agent.” The prosecution also demands a fine of 290 thousand rubles, a year of restricted freedom, and a ban on administering websites and internet channels for almost five years.

What was found in “Masyanya”

The main episode of the case was the 169th episode of “Masyanya” — “Idoliada”, published in 2023.

At the end of the episode, Masyanya addresses Russian military personnel. She calls the war against Ukraine an invasion, says there is no valor in participating in it, and suggests that Russian soldiers use the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live”, which is intended, among other things, for organizing the surrender of Russian military personnel.

The Russian accusation regarded this not as political satire or an author’s statement, but as a public call to actions against state security. The defense disagrees with this. The state-appointed lawyer asks for Kuvaev to be fully acquitted and claims that no evidence of the crime was presented to the court. According to SOTAvision, the episode of “Masyanya” itself was not even shown in the court session.

NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency has already written about how criminal and administrative legislation in modern Russia is used against public anti-war statements. Kuvaev’s story is particularly notable for the Israeli audience also because the Russian court is considering the case in absentia not of a person who recently fled the country, but of a citizen of Israel who has been living here since 2006.

That is, Israel appeared in this story long before the current criminal process.

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kuvaev began releasing sharply anti-war episodes of “Masyanya.” In 2022, the Russian authorities blocked the animated series’ website, and in December 2023, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation included the author in the register of “foreign agents.”

Now, the Russian prosecution demands a real prison term in absentia for the creator of one of the most recognizable characters of the early Russian-speaking internet, who has been living in Israel for almost twenty years.

On October 5, it will be known whether the court will support this demand.