From chargers to lipstick: Russian journalists say security was 'very strict' during Putin’s India visit

.Reports in Kommersant and Vedomosti, cited by PTI, describe multiple screenings and expanded lists of banned items at Hyderabad House and Rashtrapati Bhavan during the 23rd India–Russia summit.

Russian journalists accompanying President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi for the 23rd India-Russia summit have described security checks at key venues as 'very strict' and more intensive than expected, according to accounts in Russian media cited by PTI.

Putin was in India from December 4-5 for the annual summit aimed at strengthening strategic and economic ties.

In a report in Kommersant, Kremlin press pool member Andrei Kolesnikov wrote that problems began at Hyderabad House, the venue for summit talks, where journalists were subjected to detailed screening and several personal items were taken away.

Kolesnikov noted that the media delegation had been warned in advance not to carry power banks, but many were surprised when other items were also barred.

“For example, they confiscated my regular phone charger… then they started confiscating lipstick and cologne from the girls… Why combs? Why hair bands?” he wrote, as cited by PTI.

According to the report, security personnel also removed car keys and cosmetics in some cases.

Elena Mukhametshina of financial daily Vedomosti, covering Putin’s ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, reported a comparable experience.

She wrote that the list of prohibited objects appeared to grow as journalists moved through the line, and that some were asked to undergo a second round of screening, PTI reported.

Both accounts underscore that the restrictions applied not only to reporters but also to members of the official delegation.

Kolesnikov added that senior Russian officials were subject to detailed checks as part of the protocols in place.

He described the procedures as more stringent than those seen on some other foreign trips, although he acknowledged that host countries typically impose their own security rules around high-level visits.

India routinely deploys multiple layers of security at venues such as Hyderabad House and Rashtrapati Bhavan for state visits and major summits. During recent events including the G20 leaders’ meeting, similar restrictions were applied to Indian and foreign media, with tight control over what could be carried into secure zones.

The accounts from Kommersant and Vedomosti suggest that for the Putin visit, those norms may have been interpreted particularly narrowly, extending to everyday items like chargers and hair accessories.