A lot of electrical devices today have a switch of some kind to deactivate the device after a certain period of time. Sometimes the device just gets annoyingly slow. In any case, it is implemented in software on that device. And the reason for that is Planned Obsolescence. Forcing the user to throw away this device and buy a new one.
This comment thread is for people to document various implementations of this malicious feature.
Soviet Union has collapsed, but the legacy of it remains. Like feces left by a dog, it hated, despised, but a natural coarse of nature. Some directors know how to portray that dumb in a very entertaining and humorous matter.