Russia’s star-studded ‘almost naked’ party triggers severe backlash | Here’s what happened

A star-studded party in Russia recently sparked outrage after videos of scantily clad celebrities took the internet by storm.

The event, being described as "almost-naked", also had a rapper attending with only a sock to hide his modesty, who has now been imprisoned for 15 days.

Nikolai Vasilyev, also known as Vacio, was jailed and fined for endorsing "non-traditional sexual relations".

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The other stars, who wore flesh-coloured mesh, lace, and lingerie, now face cancelled concerts, lost TV appearances, and broken sponsorship deals.

Held at a nightclub in Moscow on Dec 21, the party also led to the termination of contracts with some of Russia's renowned entertainers.

The party was organised by famous Instagram influencer Anastasia Ivleeva and was attended by several celebs who have been staying in the country since Putin launched his offensive against Russia in Feb 2022.

“Everyone was having a good time, no one could imagine what a mess this would all become,” the Guardian quoted a person who attended the party as saying.

Wartime backlash

The footage of the party spread like fire across Russian social media applications, triggering severe backlash in the country, especially among pro-war commentators and nationalist officials, and also reportedly left President Vladimir Putin unimpressed.

A video clip of Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, being briefed about the party by one of the attending celebrities has been doing rounds on the internet.

As per Baza, a news outlet which is known to have connections with security service officials, the troops fighting in Ukraine were among the first to express displeasure on viewing the footage.

Peskov, on Wednesday (Dec 28), refrained from publicly commenting on the burgeoning scandal on being asked about it by reporters.

"Let you and I be the only ones in the country who aren't discussing this topic," he said.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the event, said that it had "stained" the ones who attended it.

She, however, noted that the controversy had also provided an opportunity for the attendees to reflect and work upon themselves, as per the Ura.ru news outlet.

“There is a war going on in the country, but these beasts, scum are organising all this, these brutes who don’t care what’s going on,” said Vladimir Solovyov, Russia’s most prominent television propagandist, in a Telegram post, as per the Guardian.

The controversial event and the criticism it has invited from the authorities, pro-Kremlin lawmakers and bloggers, state media, and Orthodox Church groups, has since then taken over the major headlines replacing stories about the surge in prices of staples like eggs and inflation.

Celebrities issue public apology

After rapper Vacio was sentenced to 15-day-imprisonment under the charges of “gay propaganda” law, many celebs who attended the party issued public apologies.

Russia’s king of pop, Filipp Kirkorov, on Tuesday (Dec 26), begged for forgiveness.

“There are moments in everyone’s life when you walk through the wrong door,” he said.

He added: “In these difficult times, heroic times, an artist of my calibre, a people’s artist, cannot and should not be so irresponsible when participating in various events.”

Ksenia Sobchak, who is also the rumoured goddaughter of Putin, said that she had realised that being a part of such an event and sharing images online wasn't the right thing to do at a time when Russian troops were fighting in Ukraine.

“If anyone was offended by my appearance, I apologise for that,” Sobchak said. “I don’t want to cause hatred and anger toward myself and other artists because of this stupid accident.”

Russian Eurovision veteran Dima Bilan said he “couldn’t know in advance what the other guests would be wearing”.

The party's organiser, Anastasia (Nastya) Ivleeva, also issued two public apology videos.

In the second video, which she released on Wednesday (Dec 27), she expressed regret over her actions saying that she deserved the treatment she was getting from people across the country but hoped people could give her a second chance.

“They say that Russia knows how to forgive. If so, I would like to ask you, the people, for a second chance,” she said in her video apology on Wednesday. “If the answer is no, then I’m ready for my public execution. I won’t shy away. I’m ready for any outcome.”

Ivleeva had grabbed headlines after she wore jewellery worth 23 million roubles ($251,000) at a time when Russians were struggling to get by.

Event angers Russians who back war in Ukraine

The controversy has angered Russians who back Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.

"To hold such events at a time when our guys are dying in the (Ukrainian) special military operation and many children are losing their fathers is cynical," said Yekaterina Mizulina, director of Russia's League for a Safe Internet, a body founded with the authorities support.

"Our soldiers on the front line are definitely not fighting for this."

As per the news agency Reuters, a woman whose nephew lost both his legs in the war against Kyiv wrote in a posting on social media that the celebrities who attended the party should pay for prosthetic legs for her relative.

"That would be a better apology," the unidentified woman wrote.

Meanwhile, some call the scandal a part of Russia's bid to endorse its "traditional values".

“Moscow has become similar to Chechnya: public apologies from party participants trembling with fear, tax audits, the prospect of criminal cases,” wrote Alexander Rodnyansky, a Ukrainian producer, on Instagram.

(With inputs from agencies)