The guiding principle of Sharikov
A still from the film "Heart of a Dog"
Today, the Ukrainian parliament passed Law 8371, which aims to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
At the same time, none of them may have even considered the historical parallels, because on 20 August 1918, Soviet authorities issued a decree abolishing private property, essentially not only depriving citizens of their right to this property but also declaring the state's right to seize it.
Law 8371 belongs to the same category: the state decided it can seize property – of the Church, monks, believers...
It turns out that Sharikov's words "take it and divide it" remain a guiding principle for most politicians today.
And, perhaps for this reason, "Heart of a Dog" is banned in Ukraine: lawmakers see themselves in Bulgakov's immortal work.
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