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By Jon Jackson
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A party held at a Moscow club on Wednesday has caused a scandal in Russia due to reports of debauchery and supposed infractions of the country's LGBTQ+ "propaganda" law.
The event—which reportedly featured a dress code of "almost naked"—was said to have attracted famous Russian celebrities such as rapper Vacio, pop star Philipp Kirkorov and singer/actress Lolita Milyavskaya. Russian gossip outlets gave special notice to the presence of Ksenia Sobchak, a television personality who is rumored to be the goddaughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Her late father, former mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak, was a mentor to Putin.)
Maria Butina, a member of Russia's parliament who was jailed in the United States for over a year after admitting to conspiring to act as a clandestine foreign agent, was among the most prominent critics of the gathering.
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On Russian social media platform VK, Butina said she had asked Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Culture to investigate if the party complied with Russia's prohibition of LGBTQ+ "propaganda," as well as if it violated a decree outlining "traditional Russian spiritual and moral values."
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Though Russian legislation regarding what Moscow lawmakers call LGBTQ+ "propaganda" dates to 2013, Putin signed into law a bill in December 2022 that expanded bans on "propaganda." The new law makes it illegal for citizens of Russia to promote same-sex relationships and restricts the "demonstration" of LGBTQ+ behavior.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday via email for comment.
Russian outlets that published accounts of the event claimed men were kissing on the dance floor and nude images were projected. The organizer of the party, famous blogger and TV presenter Nastya Ivleeva, also shared photographs on her Instagram account that shows her and other guests in revealing attire.
In addition to Butina, multiple social activist groups have called on authorities to probe the party. This includes Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Security and Anti-Corruption Foundation (FPBK), who posted videos on Telegram that accused the party guests of running afoul of Russian laws.
Well-known Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov also denounced the party.
"There is a war going on in the country, but these beasts, scum are organizing all this, these brutes who don't care what's going on," Solovyov said in a Telegram post.
Independent Russian media outlet Meduza wrote that Ivleeva had addressed the controversy her party caused in an audio message posted on Telegram.
"It was worth it, and I love that after my every party people write comments that this is debauchery, some kind of demonism and Satanism, even though it's just people wearing beautiful costumes," Ivleeva said.
Sobchak also defended the gathering, writing in a post that "where and when adults go with their bare butts is their personal business."
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