The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal. One pop star ended up in jail while several others issued public apologies. A lawsuit was launched, demanding a fortune in reparations. The scandal erupted after a TV presenter and actress hosted a bash at a Moscow nightclub. The dress code was “almost naked.” Soon after photos from the party began circulating — including one of a rapper wearing only a sock on his genitalia. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others unleashed angry comments, contending that the party was unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war.
