×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Customs Officers Film R&B Party

Several officials of the Federal Customs Service may be fired for filming a glamorous music video that depicts them singing and dancing to R&B music in the office, agency spokesman Vladimir Zubkov told Interfax on Wednesday.

The undated 5-minute video, called "Vladivostok Customs Office Rules" and available on YouTube since Tuesday, is set to the music of the Russian pop band Band'Eros.

The professional video, which features impressive choreography, dancing young ladies and officers in flamboyant attire popular with hip-hop artists, is a humorous ode to the glories of working in the customs' Vladivostok branch.

Zubkov said the officers, whose names remain withheld, may face disciplinary sanctions or even sacking for damaging the agency's reputation with the video and violating security rules by filming the scene in the customs office.

The video was shot for a New Year's party and was not intended to go online, an unidentified Vladivostok law enforcement source told Interfax. It remained unclear who uploaded it on the web.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more