The animated series causes dissatisfaction among the authorities of the Russian Federation.
Bailiffs have started to collect debts from animator Oleg Kuvaev (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) for fines imposed on him for violating the activities of a foreign agent.
Materials regarding the unpaid fines were sent to the bailiffs by the Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg. The amount they want to collect from the creator of the flash cartoon "Masyanya" is 60,000 rubles (about 600 euros). The total amount of fines imposed on him is 140,000 rubles.
A criminal case has been initiated against Oleg Kuvaev in Russia for public calls to activities directed against state security. The reason for this was the "Masyanya" series, in which the main character calls on Russian soldiers to surrender. The artist was put on the wanted list in December 2023, at which time he was also recognized as a foreign agent. Kuvaev has not lived in Russia since 2006.
Oleg Kuvaev was born on February 6, 1967, in Leningrad. He studied at an English school (No. 328) and then at a physics and mathematics school (No. 344), and graduated from a music school. He attended several institutes but did not graduate from them (including the Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (GUAP)), and served in the Soviet Army (in the Far East in the communications troops). In 1986, together with Alexander Vasiliev and others, he participated in the rock band "Mitra," which was later transformed into "Splin" — he played keyboards, flute, and clarinet. From 1991 to 1997, he lived in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), occasionally returning to St. Petersburg to extend his visa. Until 2001, he was professionally engaged in painting and sculpture. Since 1995, he has also been involved in computer graphics.
In the fall of 2001, Oleg Kuvaev began posting short cartoons online about a big-headed little man with a few hairs on his head, whom he named Masyanya. The cartoons, characterized by a slightly mischievous style of self-expression and at the same time endless life optimism and humor, quickly gained popularity, and a few months later, his own website mult.ru was launched, where new cartoons were posted. By January 2002, Oleg Kuvaev opened his own animation studio "Mult.ru," where he held the position of art director. With this studio, he became the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. In particular, in March 2002, Oleg Kuvaev and his studio "Mult.ru" became record holders at the third annual "National Internet Award," where they collected most of the awards. "Masyanya" received five of the most prestigious nominations: Grand Prix, "Discovery of the Year," Press Prize, Audience Award, and a prize in the "Network Art" category. Gradually, the amateur cartoon series evolved into a large-scale project of the professional studio "Mult.ru."
From the very beginning of the "Masyanya" project, Oleg Kuvaev faced a significant wave of piracy and illegal use of Masyanya's image. Dozens, if not hundreds, of product names were released without any control, participation, or permission from the author and his studio. Numerous attempts were made to combat mass piracy, but they were mostly unsuccessful: until the adoption of the fourth part of the Civil Code in 2006, copyright on the character of a work was not legally protected in Russia. In 2003, the image of Masyanya was used by the Muz-TV channel in its program "Visiting Masyanya" without Kuvaev's permission, leading to a lawsuit won by Kuvaev's studio. Masyanya in this program was voiced by Pavel Volya (a future participant in the "Comedy Club" project). After long legal battles, Oleg Kuvaev regained the rights to the character and the trademark "Masyanya," and from July 2007, a new, fourth life of "Masyanya" began, which continues successfully to this day.
Outside of internet circles, the project gained popularity thanks to the show "Namedni" with Leonid Parfyonov, which aired new episodes of "Masyanya" weekly. A total of about twenty episodes were shown on NTV from September 2002 to February 2004, but due to the cessation of funding from LLC "Masyanya," which at that time held all rights to the project, the release of new episodes had to be stopped.
Oleg Kuvaev's own animation studio in St. Petersburg operated until 2006, regularly releasing new episodes of the series "Masyanya," "Shop BO!", "6 ½," and "Hedgehogs and Petruccio." In 2006, Oleg Kuvaev left the studio and moved to Israel, which was related to his marriage. He began freelancing and started to represent his interests independently. A year later, his studio in St. Petersburg closed.
In 2013, Oleg Kuvaev resumed work on the "Masyanya" series. He single-handedly produces the series, creating scripts, graphics, editing episodes, and voicing the series. He sought sponsors and advertisers, trying to monetize the production of the cartoon series through crowdfunding. In the spring of 2019, he switched to patreon.com as the main source of funding for production.
