This is Partgate, only Russian style.
Bizarre events were seen in a nightclub in Moscow, and what happened in the following days speaks volumes about the current atmosphere in Russia.
Nastya Ivlejeva, a Russian blogger and TV presenter, organized the "Almost Naked Party" at the club Mutabor.
What was the dress code?
They were more like undressing rules.
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Scantily clad pop stars and other celebrities were in attendance.
Among them was the Russian rapper Vacio, whose real name is Nikolai Vasiliev.
He was wearing only training shoes and one sock, which was pulled up as planned.
This was a private party, but it became very public when videos and photos of the attendees surfaced on social media.
Overnight, Vacio's sock became the most famous sock in Russia, but not for positive reasons.
Loud criticism followed.
Bloggers, MPs and activists close to the Kremlin, who support the war in Ukraine, were outraged and asked: How can celebrities have such a good time while Russian soldiers are risking their lives in a "special military operation"?
For the merry participants, the party really ended a long time ago.
Rapper Vacio was arrested and sentenced to 15 days in prison for "disturbing public order".
He will also have to pay 200.000 rubles (about $2.200) for "promoting non-traditional sexual relationships."
Organizer Nastja Ivlejeva will also face legal consequences.
More than 20 people have filed a class-action lawsuit against her demanding she pay 10,9 billion rubles ($XNUMX million) to the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, an organization that donates money to soldiers participating in "special operations," as the Kremlin calls the war in Ukraine.
Others who were at the party are also under attack.
There is also speculation about the cancellation of concerts and advertising contracts, and some reports state that some of the stars have been kicked out of the already recorded New Year's program that will be broadcast on state television.
Some of the big names were suddenly wiped out.
Famous guests of the party took to social media one after the other - some apologizing for attending, while others claimed they did nothing wrong.
"I realize I was wrong. The last thing I want is for this kind of event and my mistake to lead to the downfall of my career in Russia, the only country where I exist both as a citizen and as an artist," said Philip Kirokov, a music star, this time fully clothed, in a video message.
"I was wearing a skateboard, a big coat, pants and shoes," said singer Dima Bilan, who once represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest.
"I couldn't know in advance what the other guests would wear," he added.
"They say that Russia knows how to forgive. If so, I want to ask you, people, for a second chance," Nastya Ivleeva said in a video message.
"If the answer is 'no', then I am ready for a public lynching. I will not hide. I'm ready for any outcome," said the party organizer.
The events of the previous days were a shock for these celebrities.
After the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, they consciously decided to stay in Russia and continue their careers, with an often lavish lifestyle.
So far, public criticism has mostly been aimed at celebrities who criticized the war in Ukraine and left the country.
That is no longer the case.
But why?
It seems to me that the Russian political system is increasingly based on the sacrifice of the innocent.
He needs individuals or groups to point fingers at and to blame for problems inside and outside the country.
So far, Ukraine, America, Great Britain, the European Union and NATO have played this role.
Now it seems that Russian celebrities are also on this list.
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"There used to be a simple social contract with people who go to parties: do whatever you want as long as you're loyal," Maxim Katz, a Russian opposition activist in exile, said in a post on social media.
"But life is not fun now. Those ostentatious images are the opposite of reality. You can't have fun while the country is at war.
"For the first time in a long time, the system has punished those who respect its rules, as long as they apply to them," the activist believes.
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