What did Nikolai Vasilyev do? Russian rapper jailed for 15 days over Balenciaga sock amid Russian party scandal 

Russian Instagram influencer Anastasia Ivleeva made headlines after Nikolai Vasilyev, a rapper and one of her party attendees got arrested. The former threw an “almost naked” party amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict which left many enraged.

After finding themselves in a scandal, several high-profile celebrities who attended the event apologized for the same.

In the party that took place on Dec. 20, several celebrities wore flesh-colored mesh, lace and lingerie to the themed-event. One of them, Nikolai Vasilyev also reportedly wore nothing but a Balencia-branded sock, to pay tribute to Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 1987 album cover.

As pictures made rounds across social media, several nationalist and pro-war commentators blasted the event. Journalist Vladimir Solovyov said:

“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.”

Subsequently, rapper Vacio, whose real name is Nikolai Vasilyev was arrested for his shocking outfit. He was sentenced to 15 days in prison under the charges of the “gay propaganda law.”

According to Reuters, he was also fined 200,000 roubles ($2182) for the propaganda of “non-traditional s*xual relations.”

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Party organizer Anastasia Ivleeva issues apology amid Nikolai Vasilyev’s arrest

Anastasia Ivleeva, who organized the party in Moscow’s Mutabor nightclub has since become the topic of interest online. In her posts, she was seen wearing an emerald-studded chain worth $251,000 around her derriere at the event. She also shared glimpses of the event with her followers.

However, the immense scrutiny and Nikolai Vasilyev’s arrest led to her sharing an apology on December 20 and 21. In a tearful address, Ilveeva said that she regretted her actions and deserved all the criticism. She went on to add that she hopes that she can be given a second chance.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities reportedly opened a tax investigation against the influencer who boasts over 18 million followers on Instagram. She could possibly face five years of jail time.

A Moscow court reportedly also accepted a lawsuit that demanded her to pay over $1 million for the “moral suffering” that she caused through her event.

Several other partygoers and celebrities have also since canceled their upcoming concerts and had their brand contracts terminated. In response, one of the attendees, Filipp Kirkorov, a pop singer apologized by saying:

“There are moments in everyone’s life when you walk the wrong door. In these difficult times, heroic times, an artist of my calibre, a people’s artist, cannot and should not be so irresponsible when participating in various events.”

Social media personality and rumored goddaughter of President Vladimir Putin, Ksenia Sobchak, also released a statement by saying that she “realized” that attending and sharing images of the party during the recent political upheaval was inappropriate. She also said:

“If anyone was offended by my appearance, I apologize for that. I don’t want to cause hatred and anger towards myself and other artists because of this stupid accident.”

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented that he refused to publicly opine on the party scandal. He told reporters:

“Let you and I be the only ones in this country who aren’t discussing the topic.”

At the time of writing this article, Nikolai Vasilyev had not publicly addressed his controversial outfit.