Maxim Tesli told the court ‘it happened by accident’ (Picture: Press Service of St Petersburg/Reuters)
A Russian singer has been handed a prison sentence after he wore nothing but a sock to cover his modesty in front of a concert crowd – and failed to keep it held up.
Maxim Tesli’s stunt came less than two weeks after rapper Vacio was jailed for wearing a very similar ‘outfit’ to a risque Moscow celebrity party which prompted outrage across the country.
However, Vacio – real name Nikolai Vasilyev – managed to at least end the night with his dignity intact.
Tesli, the lead singer of the band Shchenki (The Puppies), went a step further on stage when the sock he was wearing came loose and exposed what was underneath to the audience.
Footage from the gig shared on social media shows him waving the sock above his head to yelps from crowd members.
St Petersburg court service quoted the pop star saying: ‘I regret it. It happened by accident.
‘I didn’t think that this sock would fall off and it seemed like an appropriate performance, which, of course, was not the case.’
On its Telegram channel, the court service jokingly referred to Tesli as ‘the hero with the sock’ and added it was pleased that he had turned up fully clothed to the hearing.
Vacio, left, put out a statement after the party saying he does not ‘support the LGBT+ community in any way’ (Picture: Nastya Ivleeva/e2w)
He was sentenced to 10 days in prison on the grounds of ‘petty hooliganism’.
It’s unclear if Tesli picked his attire as a tribute to Vacio – or even the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who famously performed wearing only socks on a few occasions.
The rapper received a similar sentence of 15 days in prison, in addition to a 200,000 roubles ($2,182) fine, for propaganda of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ following the notorious party last month.
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Several national celebrities turned up to the do in outfits befitting the theme ‘Almost Naked’, which many in the increasingly conservative country decried as inappropriate while the war in Ukraine is ongoing.
In the wake of the enormous scandal, many of the attendees issued public apologies.
Vacio has since had his sentence extended by 10 days, and he may be made to fight in Ukraine after being handed a summons to appear at a conscription office.
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St Petersburg’s court service said it was pleased he had turned up fully clothed to the hearing.
