A raunchy celebrity-studded party in Moscow has prompted outrage among Russian politicians and law enforcement agencies, in one of the starkest examples to date of how Vladimir Putin is moving the country in a conservative and anti-liberal direction.
Footage of the party quickly spread across Russian social media, causing outrage among pro-war commentators and nationalist officials.
Two days after the party the rapper Vacio – full name Nikolai Vasilyev – who wore the sock outfit, was summoned to court. He was sentenced to 15 days under the charges of the notorious “gay propaganda” law.
Since then, many of the celebrities who attended the party have had their concerts canceled and advertising contracts terminated in what Russians have dubbed the biggest “canceling” of stars since the start of the war.
Sensing that their careers and even freedoms were under threat, the celebrities have embarked on a series of public apologies.
The party, which took place on 20 December, was a dress-up ball held at a Moscow nightclub with the theme “almost naked”, and was organised by the popular Instagram influencer Anastasia Ivleeva and attended by a number of household celebrity names who have stayed in the country since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
