Moscow's high society was abuzz with controversy following a provocative party titled "Almost Naked" at the city's Mutabor nightclub on December 20.
Hosted by blogger and TV presenter Nastya Ivleeva, the event featured celebrities like rapper Vacio (Nikolai Vasiliev), Filipp Kirkorov, Lolita Milyavskaya, and Ksenia Sobchak, dressed in daring outfits that left little to the imagination.
The party, with tickets priced at a hefty million rubles ($10,770), quickly became the talk of the town as footage spread across social media and tabloids, inclusive the independent Russian news site Meduza.
LGBT Propaganda
However, the event sparked immediate outrage among conservative groups, who condemned it as an "immoral" celebration of the "dark arts," promoting drug culture and "the gay lifestyle."
Traditionalist organizations like “Sorok Sorokov,” “Call of the People,” and the “Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption” (FPBK) called for investigations into the organizers for allegedly propagating harmful influences at a time when Russia claims to be defending "traditional values" against Western decadence in its invasion of Ukraine.
High-profile critics like Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the Safe Internet League, known for her campaigns against "dangerous content" in Russian pop culture, called for a state-level boycott of the celebrities involved. She asserted that such parties undermine the state's policy, especially during the military operation in Ukraine.
The event's supposed "LGBT" overtones particularly alarmed some conservatives. Maria Butina, a former gun rights activist turned federal lawmaker, requested inquiries into the party for potentially violating Russia's ban on "LGBT propaganda."
FPBK director Vitaly Borodin expressed dismay at the celebrities' disregard for societal norms, especially during a sensitive time for the nation.
Despite the backlash, the party continued into its second night on December 21, albeit with a reduced entry fee and increased scrutiny over guests' attire. Nastya Ivleeva, the organizer, initially responded defiantly to the criticism but was notably absent from the second night’s festivities.
The event and its aftermath highlight a growing cultural clash in Russia, where the state's push for traditional values increasingly conflicts with the cosmopolitan lifestyles of its urban elite. The "Almost Naked" party serves as a microcosm of this tension, drawing lines between traditionalists and modernists in Russian society.
See the wild pictures from the party here:
