Dolina, Volochkova and Shalyapin linked to 10 million rouble online store scam

Artists became faces of fraudulent scheme

Larisa Dolina, Anastasia Volochkova and Prokhor Shalyapin found themselves at the epicentre of a new scandal. Russian media report that these celebrities were linked to the activities of an online store that promised customers discounts on electronics from brands Apple, Samsung and Dyson. However, the company failed to fulfil its obligations, resulting in financial losses for clients.

The perpetrators managed to gain the stars' trust by gifting each of them a new iPhone smartphone. In exchange, the artists were offered to mention the store's name in a commercial. They were assured that the company had no issues with its documentation and that any claims from competitors were merely slander. Dolina not only appeared in the advertisement but also publicly wished the business longevity.

Buyers left without money and gadgets

The offer to receive a 30% discount on electronics attracted approximately 200 residents of Russia. They placed orders and made full prepayments. The company promised to deliver goods imported from Dubai within 30 days. However, the customs clearance process was delayed, and subsequently, the online store's website simply ceased to function.

Preliminary losses for the victims are estimated at 10 million roubles (approximately 5,584,784 hryvnia). Another 20 former employees of the company joined the list of victims, claiming they had not received their wages. Buyers are preparing collective complaints to the police.

The situation was complicated by the use of a background featuring the Ukrainian flag for the filming of the advertising campaign, which provoked an additional wave of outrage in Russian society.

Stars' reaction: refusal of responsibility

Larisa Dolina did not attempt to comment on the incident. Instead, her colleagues are actively defending their position. Prokhor Shalyapin expressed outrage that society is blaming the artists for the buyers' loss of funds. He emphasised that as artists, they could not do anything, as they do not understand anything in the documents.

Anastasia Volochkova also rejected the accusations. The ballerina stated that she sees nothing wrong in thanking the store for the gifted phone by participating in the advertisement.

«Ну не кожному з вас дарують iPhone, правильно? Чого від нас хочуть? Ми взагалі нічого не зрозуміли. Ну записали ми відео. Якщо мені щось сподобалося, я скажу: "Люди, це класно"» ("Well, not everyone of you is given an iPhone, right? What do they want from us? We didn't understand anything at all. Well, we recorded a video. If I like something, I will say: 'People, this is cool'"), Volochkova emphasised.

Context: previous real estate scandal

This is not the first time Larisa Dolina's name has been mentioned in connection with financial fraud. In the summer of 2024, information emerged that the singer agreed to sell an apartment in an elite residential complex in Moscow. Scammers allegedly convinced her that criminals had "set their eyes" on her property and offered to save the home through a fictitious sale. After the deal was completed, Dolina transferred 112 million roubles to the fraudsters, who were supposed to transfer the funds to a "safe account".

However, the court practice turned out to be different. Investigators established that Dolina voluntarily concluded the sale agreement. The court recognised the ownership rights of the buyer, Polina Lurie. The singer and her relatives were deregistered from the address, and the new owner obtained full rights to dispose of the property, including changing the locks.

Following this incident, the term "Dolina Effect" began to be used in Russia to describe cases where property sellers, after completing a deal, file lawsuits claiming they became victims of fraudsters.