Masyanya
Masyanya () is a Russian adult animated web series (later released on TV) created by Oleg Kuvaev with Macromedia Flash in 2001. Episodes. A typical "Masyanya" episode is only a few minutes long. Each .swf episode was typically 170-400KB in size (though sometimes up to 3MB), and consisted mainly of sarcastic (and frequently absurd) commentary on contemporary Russian life. Some of the most popular episodes include one in which Masyanya and Hryundel' snicker and later hysterically laugh while Hryundel' is recording a jingle on the radio; another involves a sexual encounter made impossible by the lack of  shtuchki (thingies), while yet another involves the two main characters exchanging a series of increasingly awful gifts, including a horse-shaped piñata and a bag of green cats. The episodes are generally loosely connected and the characters initially did not age. For most of the episodes, no particular sequence or storyline could be established until recently as Masyanya and Hryundel now have two kids Uncle Badya and Chuchun. They can be watched in any order, but some episodes lose a great deal of their charm if one isn't familiar with at least some of the series history. Soundtrack. Russian  pop songs are often used in the soundtracks of episodes. Several episodes are, in essence, music videos set to a particular song. Reception. "Masyanya"s popularity is rapidly growing on both sides of the Atlantic. In Russia, "Masyanya" made the move from the Internet to television and can now be seen on several cartoons and talk shows, although its popularity is mainly supported by the Internet. In Germany, translations are being made of some of the more popular episodes. In the United States, "Masyanya" has become an integral feature of the Middlebury College Summer Russian Language Program in Vermont. Censorship in  Russia. At the height of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the series launched episode 160 titled "Vakidzasi" (Вакидзаси; Wakizashi) on March 22, which was strongly critical of the conflict in Ukraine; the episode had featured graphic images taken from the conflict while also comparing the incumbent president Vladimir Putin and his actions as that of Adolf Hitler's. In response, Russian media regulation agency Roskomnadzor, after having demanded the creators of "Masyanya" to pull the episode, had banned the series after accusing the creators for circulating false information about the conflict. Kuvayev, who currently lives in Israel, had circumvented  the take down of the original webpage by creating a mirror site, but the authorities continue to threaten Kuvayev that all of his internet resources will be blocked unless the episode was pulled out.