Russian lawmakers on Monday held a roundtable discussion where they criticized Western animated films, toys and video games, accusing fictional characters like Shrek of having a “destructive impact” on Russian children.
“They don’t seem bad, but they have both physical and personality flaws,” said State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova, who presented slides contrasting “good” Soviet-era children’s films and toys with those originating in Western countries.
“Gradually, with the infiltration of Western culture, characters began to appear who embodied negative traits but were elevated to the status of positive characters,” one slide read. “The image of the purely positive character began to fade.”
The slide displayed fictional characters like Shrek and the Grinch, as well as those from the 2001 American animated comedy film “Monsters Inc.”
Sergei Mironov, leader of the minority party A Just Russia, accused the West of waging a “hybrid war” against Russia and warned that governments opposed to Moscow are following the adage: “If you want to defeat the enemy, raise their children.”
“Unfortunately, [Western countries] are very actively engaged in indoctrinating our children,” Mironov said.
Lantratova, also a member of A Just Russia and chair of the State Duma’s committee on civil society and religious organizations, said a legal gray area is preventing Russian authorities from blocking Western content made for children.
She said she plans to share the roundtable’s proposals with the lower house of parliament’s working group on the legal implementation of “traditional Russian spiritual values.”
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