An 'almost naked' party of Russian elites brings on jail time, a lawsuit and apologies
ABC News
The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal
The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal. One pop star ended up in jail and several others issued public apologies while an ensuing lawsuit demanded a fortune in reparations.
The scandal erupted after TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva hosted a bash at a Moscow nightclub with the stated dress code of “almost naked.”
Soon after, photos from the party began circulating on social media — including those of rapper Vacio seen wearing only a sock on his genitalia. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others unleashed a storm of criticism, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war.
Some of the criticism reflected the fiercely conservative sentiment in Russia amid President Vladimir Putin's repeated denunciation of the West for trying to undermine “traditional values” and the nationalism intensified by Russia's war in Ukraine.
"Such hangouts are a shot in the foot of the entire policy pursued by the state,” Yekaterina Mizulina, leader of a Kremlin-aligned group advocating greater internet restrictions, wrote on the messaging app Telegram.
