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Famous Russian figures who enjoyed a ‘half-naked party’ amidst the war are under severe criticism.
According to the BBC on the 27th (local time), Russian blogger and broadcaster Nastya Ivleeva held a ‘Playboy Party’ with a dress code of almost naked at a club in Moscow Russia on the 20th.
This party was attended by popular Russian singers Filip Kirkorov and Dima Bilan, rapper Basta, and other famous entertainers and broadcasters. The party was private but the controversy grew as videos and photos were released on social media.
Pro-Kremlin bloggers, lawmakers, and activists who support the Ukrainian war were outraged, questioning how such a party could take place while Russian soldiers are risking their lives in ‘special military operations’.
Eventually, Basta was detained for 15 days on charges of indecency and fined 200,000 rubles (about $2,670) for ‘promoting non-traditional sexual relations’.
Some citizens even filed a class-action lawsuit demanding that Ivleeva the party organizer, donate 1 billion rubles (about $13.4 million) to the ‘Defenders of the Homeland Foundation’, a support group for Ukrainian war veterans.
Other famous figures who attended the party are also facing backlash, with scheduled concerts being canceled and advertising contracts being terminated.
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As the controversy grew, some participants made public apologies and explanations and Nastya the party organizer appealed through Instagram “I would like to ask the Russian people for another chance,” saying, “If the answer to this is ‘no’, I am ready to accept the public’s punishment against me. I will not shy away in shame.”
Maxim Katz, an opposition activist in exile from Russia wrote on social media “In the past, there was a social consensus that people like the participants of this party could do whatever they wanted as long as they were loyal to the country,” and “But now, life is no longer a party for Russians. You cannot carelessly party in a country at war.”
By. Yoon Jung Nam
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