So it was almost unprecedented for the state film agency to ban the latest Russian-made “White Guard” mini-series, saying that it “demonstrates contempt for Ukrainian language, people and statehood.” In September, the agency also warned that all Russian movies and TV series that denigrated Ukraine would suffer a similar fate.

The Bulgakov museum is a two-story, mustard-colored house that was the family’s last residence in Kiev and was the model for the Turbin family home in “The White Guard.” A small sign by the front door reads, “People who support the military occupation of Ukraine are not welcome in our museum.”

Ms. Gubiauri, the director, was one of the people asked to review the mini-series. “I don’t see it as a piece of art; it is basically propaganda,” she said, with everything Ukrainian cast negatively.

She noted that for many Ukrainians, Mr. Bulgakov had never been an easy read. “For me as a Ukrainian, it hurts to read his work,” she said. “He did not recognize Ukraine as an independent state.”

Volodymyr Fedorin, the Moscow-educated former editor of Forbes Ukraine, found the series even more pro-Russian than the book. “For Bulgakov, Ukrainian independence was something between a joke and a tragedy,” he said.

Many here are dismayed by the current jingoism in Russia, Mr. Fedorin said. “We have got big problems with the current version of Russian culture; there is a big chunk of imperialistic, chauvinistic feelings toward other countries,” he said. “Too many of my former friends and colleagues turned out to be jingoists and fools.”

Mr. Fedorin also suggested that the cultural links could be overestimated. While the older, Soviet-born generation might identify closely with Russia, those in their early 20s, who grew up in an independent Ukraine, would likely prefer HBO to a Russian mini-series, he said.