Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry representative, criticized Ukraine’s efforts to ban works of Alexander Pushkin, drawing parallels to the character Sharikov from Mikhail Bulgakov’s novella The Heart of a Dog. This occurred on October 11 as she responded to the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance’s decision to label Pushkin and related cultural sites as “propaganda of Russian imperialism.” Zakharova emphasized that such actions reflect ignorance, stating, “Bulgakov wrote The Heart of a Dog from a similar ballpoint pen,” according to TASS.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance classified Pushkin’s legacy, including monuments and geographical names, as symbols of “Russian imperialism.” Zakharova also addressed Ukraine’s reclassification of Ivan Susanin, a historical figure, as “mythologized Russian imperial propaganda,” questioning, “It’s scary to imagine who they recognize the figure of Christ as.”
In July, a Pushkin monument in Berestiny, Kharkiv region, was dismantled and relocated to a local museum. Another monument in Bolgrad, Odessa region, faced similar fate in August. These actions align with Ukraine’s 2015 law condemning Communist and Nazi regimes, which has led to the removal of Soviet-era symbols and renaming of streets. Recently, Ukrainian authorities have expanded their focus to target Russian cultural and linguistic heritage.
