Russia fines actress who hosted 'almost naked' party over her calls for peace
A Moscow court on Thursday imposed a 50,000-ruble ($560) fine on a TV presenter and actress who gained notoriety for hosting an “almost naked” party, saying her social media posts calling for peace discredited the military.
A Moscow court on Thursday imposed a 50,000-ruble ($560) fine on a TV presenter and actress who gained notoriety for hosting an “almost naked” party, saying her social media posts calling for peace discredited the military.
Anastasia Ivleeva sparked an explosion of public indignation in the increasingly traditionalist country when she hosted a party in December encouraging guests to wear almost nothing.
Ivleeva did not appear in court Thursday for the non-criminal case, in which she was fined for two social media posts in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that called for peace and negotiations. The court found her guilty of violating a law penalizing remarks discrediting the military, although the law was passed several days after the posts.
One of the posts on Instagram, which is blocked in Russia but often accessed by VPN, showed a black square and the words “No to war.” The other showed a sketch of a dove and called on authorities to “reach those compromises that would stop the killing of people.”
Soon after the invasion launched on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia cracked down on any perceived criticism of what it calls a “special military operation.” In the stiffest punishment so far, prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a speech in the United States denouncing the war.
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