Artists Dmitry Bilan and Philip Kirkorov published videos on social networks with excuses for participating in a party in the Moscow club «Mutabor», organized by Anastasia Ivleeva.
As Kirkorov said, he simply “went into the wrong door” . “Yes, I knew about the event, received an invitation, promised to come and came, but did not know about the nature of the events that would take place behind these doors. And he left,” the singer explained. He added that he was aware of the mistake he had made, because an artist of “his caliber” cannot “be so irresponsible” about participating in public events in “the current difficult time.”
“The last thing I would like is for such an event, an oversight on my part, to become the reason for the restriction of my creativity in Russia, the only country where I exist as an artist and as a citizen,” Kirkorov added. At the end of the video, the singer emphasized several times that he is “a patriot of his country.” On December 23, the Mash telegram channel wrote that Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption, appealed to the Ministry of Culture with a request to deprive Kirkorov of the title of People's Artist of Russia.
The next day, Starhit published a video in which Kirkorov, in a conversation with the president’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, complains about Ivleeva’s “naked” party. “I was smart enough not to go there any further. I just promised her, she starred in my video. You know, never ask anyone for anything. She invited me, said that there would be a New Year's ball, the dress code was naked. I'm obsessed with Dolce Gabbana and Balenciaga. And then, when I walked in and saw this… I said, Katya (this is my assistant), just backstage and flowers (and on the way out),” the publication quotes Kirkorov’s words.
Dmitry Bilan said in his video that for him the party was “a window between his other works.” According to the musician, it was only when he was at the event that he understood its message. “I knew about the dress code, but everyone has their own understanding of this dress code. In my understanding, it looked like this: a turtleneck, a voluminous raincoat, trousers and boots. Attending events is part of my profession, it’s my job. I simply could not know in advance what this or that person would wear,” he added.
The singer also said that he understands “the indignation of our people and especially the guys who protect us on the front line” caused by party at Mutabor. At the same time, Bilan asked not to “rake everyone with one common brush” and recalled that in early December he gave a concert in support of the families of soldiers participating in the war in Ukraine.
On December 25, singer Lolita Milyavskaya also published a video in which she comments on her participation in the “naked” party. The artist said that she treated the incident with irony, adding that the event organized by Ivleeva was an art party, an art object. Milyavskaya also complained that after the party, haters began asking to be removed from the air and New Year’s programs. This is the second video that Milyavskaya published in connection with the party. On December 22, the singer posted a video in which she also emphasized the ironic nature of the event. “It’s not about sex, otherwise, you know, 60-year-olds simply wouldn’t be invited,” she added.
A party called Almost Naked took place in Mutabor on December 20 and 21. Later, photographs from the event outraged pro-government activists, who wrote denunciations to the police and prosecutors against the organizers and participants. Later, Roskomnadzor reported that “signs of LGBT propaganda” were found in the photos and videos from the party.
On December 22, rapper Vacio, who attended the party wearing only sneakers and a Balenciaga sock on his penis, received 15 days of arrest under an administrative charge. of petty hooliganism and a fine of 200 thousand rubles under the article on “LGBT propaganda”. The network also posted a video of the rapper’s apology, in which he says that he “condemns LGBT supporters.”
On December 24, a video appeared on Ivleeva’s social networks in which the blogger apologizes for the party. She promised to donate the money raised from ticket sales for the second day of the event to charitable organizations. Later, as the BBC Russian Service noted, anti-war publications disappeared from Ivleeva’s Instagram.