Upon returning from Israel, a famous Soviet poet and performer of a bard song was detained in Moscow.

The famous singer Veronica Dolina was detained at Zhukovsky airport after arriving from Tel Aviv. Various medications were found in her luggage, including Ivalgin, Tramadol, Sumatriptan, as well as drugs containing codeine and brotizolam. According to Russian media, Dolina was supposed to declare these “narcotic drugs” when entering Russia, but did not. She was released with an obligation to appear when called. “I'm home, everything is fine. These are just my headache medications, I always carry them with me,” the singer told reporters.

Dolina did not specify which medicine raised questions among customs officials. She only stated that she takes medications for migraines and has the appropriate prescriptions. Currently, a criminal case is being considered against Dolina under articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the smuggling of potent substances and drugs. The maximum penalty for these crimes is 20 years in prison.

Veronica Dolina is the author of more than 500 songs and is currently 68 years old. Her son, film critic Anton Dolin, decided to leave Russia because of the events in Ukraine. In December, he was fined for violating foreign agent laws. Many believe that the case against the singer is related to pressure on her son, who takes an anti-Russian position. Criminal cases against people taking potent drugs are one of the frequent methods of Russian law enforcement agencies to carry out repression.