A Russian singer who got in trouble for performing on stage wearing only a sock to cover his genitals was arrested at a St. Petersburg airport as he planned to leave the country.
Maxim Tesli, lead singer of Russian band The Puppies, was charged with petty hooliganism. He was planning to flee Russia, according to Russian outlet Fontanka, where President Vladimir Putin has been cracking down on the showbiz elite.
Tesli is the second Russian singer to be arrested for wearing only a sock, which Kremlin supporters have described as LGBTQ+ propaganda. On Sunday, pro-Kremlin activist Vitaly Borodin announced that he was preparing a criminal case against Tesli.
In late December, the rapper Vacío showed up to an “almost naked” party dressed in only a sock covering his genitals. The party inflamed an ongoing culture war in Russia, with many attendees having to make subsequent groveling public apologies.
Vacío was sentenced to 15 days in prison and fined about €2,000 for hooliganism and spreading “LGBTQ+ propaganda.” After his scheduled release he was then arrested again for another 10 days on hooliganism charges, and on Sunday he was summoned to enlist in the Russian military.
“Group member Maxim Tesli decided to repeat the costume of rapper Vacío,” Borodin thundered.
The arrests and public shaming of Russia’s pop culture stars comes a few weeks after Moscow banned the LGBTQ+ movement as an extremist organization
