Fans from abroad are talking selfies with Russian women near the Red Square // Screencapped from CBC News by Runet Echo Despite the grim predictions, the World Cup in Russia has stunned even the most skeptical of observers. Social media posts and newspaper columns are praising not just the event's superb organization, but its genuinely festive atmosphere, with thousands of ordinary Russians celebrating together with guests from across the globe, geopolitical tensions be damned. The revelry hasn't been strictly platonic. In fact, tongues are wagging over just how cosy Russians might be getting with adrenaline- and booze-fueled crowds of foreign fans. But discussion surrounding the matter in Russia has gone far beyond simple observations or generalized scandal; instead, it has focused heavily on condemning the behavior of Russian women — so much so that pages on Vkontakte, the largest domestic social network, have sprung up with the specific purpose of naming and shaming “Natashas”, a derogatory slur for Russian women who go out with foreigners. В вк создали паблик, где парни выкладывают фото и видео девушек, которые веселятся с иностранцами (в тч и сексом занимаются, да), а затем массово их травят за это и унижают. Живет и здравствует дело Плетнёвой. Весело-весело встретим Новый год. Родина никогда не разочаровывает — Anna Veduta (@Anna_Veduta) 22 июня 2018 г. There’s a Vkontakte public [page] where guys are uploading pictures and videos of girls having fun with foreigners (yes, that includes having sex with them too) and then subject[ing] them to mob bullying and harassment. [Senior Russian lawmaker] Pletnyova’s mission is alive and well. It’s going to be a fun and jolly New Year. Our Motherland never disappoints. The tweet refers to a highly controversial comment made on the eve of the World Cup’s opening game by Tamara Pletnyova, a lawmaker in the Russian parliament. Pletnyova, who heads the parliamentary committee for children’s, women’s and family affairs, infamously discouraged Russian women from engaging in mixed-race sexual relations with foreign visitors. One of the most notorious and popular Vkontakte pages, at almost 5,000 subscribers, is called Buceta Rosa — a reference to an incident in which a crowd of Brazilian fans surrounded a Russian TV presenter and goaded the unsuspecting woman into chanting an obscene song with them. This caused an enormous scandal in Brazil itself, with many commenters saying they were ashamed of their compatriots and denouncing the prank as both sexist and racist. Vkontakte’s administration has already reprimanded the Buceta Rosa page owners, forcing them to moderate comments which often consist of nothing but verbal abuse and threats against the women in photographs parsed from social media. However, even with the comments being more tightly policed, Buceta Rosa is still online and quickly gaining new users, especially after local media reports about it. Similar online operations have also sprung up. Videos have surfaced of vigilantes harassing and even physically assaulting Russian women walking the streets of Moscow in the company of foreign men. BBC Russian talked to some of the victims: one respondent saw her selfie with a Brazilian fan reposted by a neo-Nazi Vkontakte page, after which she said she started receiving rape and murder threats. She is reportedly so traumatized by the incident that she is considering getting psychological assistance to deal with its effects. The debate is now raging on a national level. Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Soviet-era tabloid and one of the most popular daily newspapers in Russia, published an op-ed titled “The age of sluts: why Russian women are a disgrace to themselves and the country.” The author argued that the promiscuity displayed in the presence of thousands of overseas guests was symbolic of a general moral collapse in Russia: Можно сказать, что тут за них стыдно. Но, боюсь, слово «стыд» тут будет выглядеть атавизмом. Это чувство многим российским девицам неведомо в принципе. Говорить о нем — все равно что цитировать исламскому радикалу Нагорную проповедь. У российских девиц, окучивающих иностранцев, понятия стыда, морали, нравственности напрочь вычеркнуты из сознания. We could say that we are ashamed for them. But, I’m afraid, the word ‘shame’ here is hopelessly anachronistic. The feeling is strange to many Russian young ladies. To shame them is the same as preaching the Sermon on the Mount to an Islamic radical. These Russian ladies cavorting with foreigners are utterly devoid of any shame, morals or virtues. The article — at the time of writing read by almost half a million people — caused an enormous backlash online and sparked a Change.org petition demanding that the paper pulls the op-ed and apologize.