The people’s singer of Russia is caught up in a “Babukshin scheme” of her own making.
“Death threats,” said a representative for the so-called “people’s artist of Russia ” regarding the reason for the disguise of an otherwise public figure. “Unknown persons threatened to blow up the car if the criminal prosecution was not stopped.
” Dolina hadn’t straightened her bleached hair that morning or applied her usual black eyeliner and had covered the bottom half of her face with a surgical mask. Her lawyer and a swarm of bodyguards escorted her to the room where she would give her testimony against the four alleged con artists whom she has accused of stealing 175 million rubles and having Ukrainian ties. “Dear Larisa Alexandrovna!,” Vladimir Putin wrote on his website for Dolina’s 70th birthday this past September. “Your generous, distinctive talent, superb vocal ability, and vibrant artistic spirit have helped you become an outstanding singer.” The pair have been close for years. Once, on a trip to Donbas, while donning a floor-length gown of shimmering magenta, teal, and cobalt sequins, the pop star took the stage with Putin to ring in the first anniversary of Crimea’s annexation. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, locking eyes as they sang to the health of the Russian Federation. Now, nearly a decade later, the European Union, Canada, Monaco, and Switzerland have sanctioned Dolina for supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by performing at various government events, and she is on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s list of the 200 Russians he considers enemies of the state. Yet in her home country, her proximity to the Kremlin has only led to fame and fortune. But now, the backlash is coming from inside the house, where a furious and ever-growing group of Russians across TikTok, Instagram, and even Reddit’s #AkaRussian forum is calling for her cancellation. “She was so pompous and rude to others without any reason, truly disgusting behavior,” one Reddit user wrote. “She returned to the apartment she sold and is singing with joy! No shame, no conscience,” said another use, according to one outlet. “Well, she allegedly used her influence. I believe that her being a cunt and knowing people in high places that’s completely possible, but it has not been yet established ,” another argued. Even Burger King has reportedly imposed “fast food sanctions,” refusing to deliver Whoppers to Dolina’s Moscow home—an apartment valued at 112 million rubles that sits at the center of the controversy. The problem is, when Dolina handed 175 million rubles over to the alleged con artists—whom, she claimed, pretended to be Russian special service agents offering to protect her from criminals who were coming for her savings—it included the 112 million rubles she had just received for selling her apartment to a kind lady named Polina Lurie. She said she did as they asked and handed over bags of cash for safekeeping. In an attempt to reclaim her lost assets, Dolina asked a judge to return the apartment to her, even though the sale had closed and Lurie had paid in full. The judge agreed, and Lurie was left without the apartment or the 112 million rubles she paid for it. The case has enraged Russians for two reasons. The first is that many argue that Dolina, who is wealthy and well-connected, used her influence to disenfranchise Lurie, who is a single mom in her mid-thirties and did nothing wrong. The even greater reason for frustration, however, is that the judge’s decision in Dolina’s case emphasizes a major problem in Russian real estate law. It used to be called the “Babukshin scheme,” because it most often involves a vulnerable, older woman. Essentially, a grifter will help an elderly relative sell her apartment and then, once they have received the money, contest the sale, saying the relative did not consent, and therefore, the sale must be invalidated. In Dolina’s case, because she sold her apartment for 19% under what it was valued at, she was able to argue that she didn’t know what she was doing. The case has stoked major chaos in the real estate market because it undermines the sanctity of purchase agreements—what’s to say a judge will not nullify other contracts? Real estate prices for previously owned homes in Moscow, when adjusted for inflation, have fallen by about 6% since 2023. Even the State Duma has publicly called for real estate legislation reform. Lurie’s case has now gone to the Russian Supreme Court, where chief justice Igor Krasnov stressed the importance of this decision and cautioned the other justices against setting a precedent that could allow for similar Babukshin schemes. “Because of one of my ‘favorite’ singers, Larisa Alexandrovna Dolina, I can’t sell any of my apartments right now,” wrote fellow Russian pop star Slava. “And if the buyer finds out that I’m an artist, then they’ll think I might swindle someone. Thanks for that.”
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