Syrians pay tribute to childhood artist and Russian 'soldier' on Ukrainian TV sparks online storm

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Picture of cartoon characters Basim and Rabab who appeared in Syrian school text booksImage source, Mumtaz Bahra
Image caption,
Characters Basim and Rabab, illustrated by Bahra helped Syrian children learn to read

In social media today: Syrians mourn the lost peace in their country as they pay tribute to a famous children's artist while Ukrainians are upset about Russian "soldiers" on TV.

Goodbye Mumtaz Bahra, goodbye childhood

Image source, Facebook/Morhaf Youssef

The death of a Syrian cartoonist famous for his school text book drawings has brought Syrians together, albeit online, for a rare moment of unity amid the ongoing war within the country.

Syrians might now be pointing their rifles at one another, but many of them share childhood memories of a different Syria in which characters illustrated by Mumtaz Bahra had a special place.

So when Bahra was reported to have died at a Damascus home for the elderly, a non-partisan show of respect and grief poured onto social media.

Many of those paying tribute to the artist remember his most famous characters, Basim and Rabab, the two ever-smiley faces that accompanied Syrian children through their childhood in the 1980s and 1990s.

A widely shared online article suggests that Bahra's death comes at a time when the Syria his pictures represented has been destroyed, leaving red as the dominant colour.

Salma Nims tweets: "How is it that all the happiness that was in our school text books has turned into an endless hollow of depression?"

Among those sharing the sadness is Syrian actor and opposition figure Jamal Sulaiman who posts on Facebook that Bahra was influential in inspiring Syrian youth and creating a generation that "loved and valued books".

It seems the memory of a peaceful Syria is being mourned as well as a childhood icon.

Russian-free TV in Ukraine?

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Much of the unrest in Ukraine and the antagonism towards Russia is rooted in the events that took place following the Maidan Square protests in Kiev in 2013

The Russian reality programme "Battle of Psychics" has been a hit in both Russia and Ukraine since 2007.

But one episode has been deemed by many Ukrainians as unacceptable after it featured camouflage-clad men alleged to be Russian soldiers who fought in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine.

The controversial scene was never included in the version broadcast in Ukraine but this has not placated the masses - the full version of the show, aired in Russia, is still available online.

Volodymyr Borodyanskyy, boss of STB, the TV station which broadcast the show, has apologised on Facebook, saying he is "ashamed" and that the broadcast was "morally unacceptable".

He added that that those responsible for airing the programme had been fired.

Some smelled a rat, declaring the incident to be "no coincidence" and more of a publicity stunt to ease tension between the two countries, a notion that has been advocated by STB owner, oligarch Viktor Pinchuk.

One commentator thought the show, produced by Russian channel TNT, "proved the presence of Russian military in Donbass. Bingo!"

While one post demanded that all Russian content should "disappear completely" from Ukrainian television, some of the show's fans offered a more chilled attitude and told off those politicising an entertainment show.

Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring's team in Kiev