Serbian law enforcement officers detained Ukrainian singer Serhiy Babkin at Belgrade airport after finding shell casings in his luggage. During the inspection, four sound shells and two Kalashnikov assault rifle shells were found in the artist's bag. According to the musician, who is currently on tour and has no plans to return to Ukraine, the incident was accidental — but it almost turned into a serious problem.
Babkin said that on his way to Budapest, he took a stage bag with him, which he used to perform in the play "Alice in Wonderland" at the "Beautiful Flowers" theater. During each performance, the bag was filled with blank cartridges for stage shooting. When the artist packed his things, the bag was empty on the outside, and he put only passports and necessary things for the move in it. However, some of the cartridges remained under the lining and unnoticed got to the control.
" The bag goes into the machine and I see that something is going on. Four sound cartridges and two Kalashnikov cartridges were tucked under the lining. I don't remember where these two came from ," Babkin said.
The singer was immediately taken for additional inspection. According to him, he was expected to undergo several hours of interrogation, police and special services were called, dozens of questions were asked, and his documents and luggage were thoroughly checked. His passport was temporarily confiscated.
" They checked everything — from my things to my soul. I got a year's worth of adrenaline ," the artist jokes.
According to Babkin, after law enforcement officers were convinced of the absence of malicious intent, they even began to study the work of the band 5NIZZA, watch clips and posters, trying to understand who was in front of them.
The adventure ended without consequences, and the singer called it an “unplanned PR stunt.” He stated that the Serbian police and security services now know the band’s repertoire very well.
Babkin is currently on a tour dedicated to the 25th anniversary of 5NIZZA.
