A celebrity party with an ‘almost naked’ dress code, hosted by Russian blogger Anastácia Ivleeva at a Moscow nightclub, is causing a scandal in Russia, drawing political criticism and even an arrest.
The party on the 20th in the Mutabor nightclub, in the south of the capital, took part in Russian stars such as journalist, socialite and reality show host Ksenia Sobchak – already linked to other scandals and a figure opposed to the regime – Filip Kirkorov , well-known singer and ex-husband of the equally famous Alla Pugatchova, as well as the equally famous singer Dima Bilan, as well as several actors and directors.
The party promoter, Anastácia Ivleeva, is 34 years old, is an actress, presenter of a television channel dedicated to entertainment and a blogger on Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube, followed on these channels by more than 35 million people.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by НАСТЯ ИВЛЕЕВА (@_agentgirl_)
Shortly after the event, photos and videos began circulating on social media, including those of rapper Vacio, who arrived at the scene wearing only a white sock covering his genitals and was punished in court for the crime of petty vandalism.
The artist is held in prison for fifteen days and must pay a fine of 200,000 rubles (about two thousand euros).
As the country was embroiled in a bloody invasion of Ukraine for nearly two years, conservative lawmakers, bloggers and others unleashed a firestorm of criticism, claiming the images were inappropriate, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war.
According to the Russian press, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself saw and criticized the photos of the millions of artists’ meeting.
As photos and videos of the party circulated on social media, some deputies, such as Maria Butina and conservatives Nina Ostanina and Vitali Milonov, demanded that the event be verified by the authorities from the perspective of LGBT propaganda, which spread in the Russian Federation is prohibited.
On Wednesday, the Russian press reported that about twenty people filed a class action worth a billion rubles (about ten million euros) against Ivleeva, claiming that they had suffered moral damages after seeing photos of the party, and that the compensation would go to a fund that helps soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
According to journalist Irina Bujor, in the daily Kommersant, the trouble for the blogger and the other participants of the party started when the photos and videos reached the soldiers fighting on the Ukrainian front.
Chechen leader and Putin ally Ramzan Kadirov even advised Russian authorities to enroll the party participants in a military academy.
When the report of that evening reached the Russian leader’s eyes, a barrage of apologies was unleashed and those at the party were told they had gotten into “big trouble,” according to Russian news channel Baza.
Questioned by journalists, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I ask you to have pity on me. We want to remain the only ones in the country who are not interested in this kind of thing.”
“I would like to ask you, people, for a second chance… If the answer is no, then I am ready for my public execution”the party organizer said Thursday.
The apology failed to calm television host Vladimir Soloviov, an influential pro-Kremlin propagandist: “Do you want a second chance? Bring heaters and drones for our men [na Ucrânia]he replied on Telegram.
Soloviev had already described the guests at this party as “trash”: “You have no idea how many people hate you.”
“There are times in everyone’s life when they walk through the wrong door”, lamented Philipp Kirkorov, a singer known for his exaggerated and bright costumes. In a video statement, he said he and other celebrities must choose their events carefully “during this difficult time, a time of heroism.”
Ksenia Sobchak, a journalist who ran for president in 2018, also apologized if anyone was offended by her beige dress with barbed wire motifs: “I love my country, I am a journalist working in Russia.”
But this ‘socialite’ also warned of demands for a boycott of the stars involved in the scandal.
“It’s stupid to ignore the artists who were there and talk about ideological sabotage. Giving opinions based on idiotic photos and making criminals out of participants is vulgarity after vulgarity”he emphasized.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also spoke on Sputnik radio about the issue, saying that the social criticism from all over the country that has hit the artists is very painful for them.
However, it also gives them the opportunity to become better through this ordeal: “Not for us, for no one, not even to appear more attractive on the screen, or to play a remorseful role, but above all for themselves “.
Source: DN
