Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has demanded the creators of a popular cartoon show remove the last episode posted on the Internet because it deals with Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Roskomnadzor said on March 29 that the episode of the series Masyanya "contains false information of social importance about the ongoing military operation to defend the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics."
According to Roskomnadzor, the cartoon episode "discredits the Russian Federation's armed forces."
The creator of the show, Oleg Kuvayev, said on March 29 that he had limited access to the episode in question after his website suffered a massive DOS-attack that came after Roskomnadzor made its request two days earlier.
SEE ALSO: Russia's Novaya Gazeta Announces SuspensionRoskomnadzor said Kuvayev created a mirror mult.ru website, adding it warned him that all of his Internet resources would be blocked unless he deleted the episode from both the main and mirror sites.
The episode in question, titled Vakidzasi, was issued on March 22. It focuses on Russia’s unprovoked full-scale attack against Ukraine that started on February 24.
In the episode, the characters compare Russian President Vladimir Putin with Adolf Hitler. Some videos showing buildings in ruins in Ukrainian towns and cities bombed by Russian military forces are featured in the cartoon, as well.
At the end of the episode, the main character of the cartoon, Masyanya, comes to Putin and leaves a Japanese sword with him so he can commit suicide. In less than 24 hours, more than 500,000 people watched the episode.
SEE ALSO: Russian Regulator Adds Three RFE/RL Central Asian Sites To Ban ListRoskomnadzor has strictly limited access to information about the war in Ukraine unleashed by Russia and directed media to describe events in Ukraine as a “special military operation” and not a war or an invasion.
On March 5, Putin signed a new law into effect that calls for sentences of up to 15 years in prison for people who "deliberately distribute false news" about the Russian Army.
Several Russian media outlets have chosen to suspend operations rather than face heavy restrictions on what they can report. The Kremlin has also blocked multiple foreign news outlets.