{"id":1336499,"date":"2025-12-24T11:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T09:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/monument-to-the-russian-world-why-they-started-talking-about-bulgakov-again\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T07:13:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T05:13:46","slug":"monument-to-the-russian-world-why-they-started-talking-about-bulgakov-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/monument-to-the-russian-world-why-they-started-talking-about-bulgakov-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Monument to the \u2018RuskiyMir\u2019: Why Bulgakov Is Back in the Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: Author’s Facebook<\/a> page<\/em><\/p>\n

This discussion about monuments is unusual. Until 2007, there was no monument to Bulgakov\u2014not in Kyiv, not in Moscow, nor anywhere else.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2007, the idea of erecting a monument was supported by Chernovetsky and the Russian embassy, and it was financed by Denis Bass, a member of Chernovetsky\u2019s team who was accused of stealing Kyiv land, fled to Moscow, and became a Russian developer.<\/p>\n

So, whether there is a monument on the descent, Bulgakov\u2019s \u201cdefenders\u201d have never been spared criticism. Bulgakov himself would likely have laughed at such defenders \u2014 not with the laughter of the Master, but with Voland\u2019s. This talented Russian, born in Kyiv, never sought to be considered a Ukrainian writer. He remained a \u201cgood Russian\u201d of his time and, in The White Guard<\/em>, depicted quarrels among the good Russians of that era \u2014 just as he could now describe conflicts between Yulia Navalny and Nevzlin, or between Kasparov and Kara-Murza.<\/p>\n

I believe that if a modern Bulgakov were to write something similar, Putin would appreciate it, just as Stalin admired The White Guard<\/em>. The flawed \u201cgood Russians\u201d lose, fight among themselves, and look down on Ukrainians.<\/p>\n

But why is there a monument in Kyiv? Why is Ukraine involved in this?<\/p>\n

General Zabrodsky and I once delivered to the front wonderful pocket editions of Kobzar<\/em>, published by the Kyiv-based publisher Spirit and\u00a0<\/em>Letter\u00a0<\/em>for<\/span>\u00a0soldiers. We did not bring The White Guard<\/em>. That would have been strange, of course. But it is easy to imagine a copy of Bulgakov in the aggressor\u2019s backpack.<\/p>\n\t\t