"Hungry Party": Social Media Outraged by Blogger's Brazen Celebration on Holodomor Remembrance Day

The public has called for respect for the Day of Mourning, while journalists report that bloggers understand only the motivation of profitable contracts.

Social media was outraged by a loud party held in honor of blogger Oleksandr Zalisko's birthday, which he threw in Lviv on November 27, when Ukraine was marking the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holodomor, BBC Ukraine reports.

The party itself was held in a style featuring explicit contests and erotic dances from a show ballet, while numerous guests raised toasts to the birthday boy while standing on tables.

Chernivtsi blogger Oleksandr Zalisko, whose life is followed by millions on Instagram, invited many other popular bloggers to his celebration, including several with millions of followers.

Those who received invitations called the party the "party of the year" and shared their impressions in stories. Since stories are videos that exist for only 24 hours, all of them have already disappeared from Instagram, but journalists managed to download them.

The guests were entertained by stand-up comedian and popular TV host Volodymyr Ostapchuk. In one of his stories he posted a photo of the festive table, captioned "hungry blogger party."

This is a screenshot that many journalists managed to take on the day of the party.

"Today is the party of the year"

Oleksandr Zalisko, whose birthday falls on November 27, gathered popular bloggers at the House of Scientists, an architectural monument in the center of Lviv.

"One of the meanings of my life is partying. I'm glad you came to the party. My party. And I hope it really will be grand," Zalisko said again at the start of the party.

Journalists noted that many Instagram stars attended the party: Natali Lytvyn, Tanya Samburska, Valeria Yurchenko, Sasha Bo. These bloggers have between 1 and 2 million followers each.

"Today is the party of the year," wrote Lytvyn. "Oleksandr Zalisko, we adore your parties!"

The blogger posted stories featuring contests at the celebration. In one of them, guests were whipped with a lash.

"Shameful"

On social media, the party was immediately criticized. Here are some comments from bloggers' posts:

"Horrible! How can such an 'event' be held on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holodomor?" wrote user Olesya Danylyshyn. "Are there really no human values at all?"

"Shameful, a disgrace to have fun on such a black date, what are you passing on to the masses? I didn't expect this from you, western Ukrainian patriots. Is this how your parents raised you, and how do they view this?" wrote another user, Iryna Drohomyretska.

However, most of these comments can no longer be found on Instagram, since stories exist on Instagram for only 24 hours, and the invited bloggers and Zalisko did not provide the option to comment on the party photos.

Some users asked how it happened that a hall could be rented for a birthday on such a day of mourning.

Ukrainian writer and publisher Yulia Slyvka noted that opinion leaders had barely remembered the Holodomor on the day of mourning, yet did not hesitate to post this kind of content.

"It seems you don't understand what this is about," Slyvka reacted emotionally. "You might never have been born. There would be no entertainment! You and I might not have existed."

There were also quite a few people who supported Zalisko, congratulated him on his birthday, and praised the good organization of the party.

"I didn't choose the day I was born"

Despite the sharp reaction, the following day Zalisko was satisfied with the party and considers the criticism directed at him "hypocrisy."

"How quickly this topic rose on the internet and how quickly everyone became so righteous," the blogger wrote in his stories.

He noted that restaurants and television were working on the day of mourning, and people were celebrating a wedding and listening to music.

Zalisko writes that he respects people who "truly" honor the memory of the Holodomor victims, but who, without boasting about it on social media, light a candle.

"November 27 is my birthday! And I celebrate my day! I didn't choose the day I was born. And I celebrate it however I want!" Zalisko reacted emotionally.

According to him, he celebrates his birthday every year on the last Saturday of November, and until now this had bothered no one.

"No advertising contracts – no money"

Such a reaction further inflamed social media. Anna Gerych, chief specialist for the protection of cultural heritage of the Lviv Regional Council, has already responded to the incident on her Facebook.

In her view, popular bloggers should behave more responsibly on social media, because "they say trends are born from their opinions," and young people believe their advice and conclusions.

"How are those neighbors of ours from across the fence who deny the Holodomor and mock the memory of their ancestors, the millions of children who died of hunger, any different?" Gerych asks.

The official also has a question for the police, who did not prevent the party from taking place in Lviv, which still belongs to the "red zone," where holding large-scale events is prohibited.

"And we just keep looking the other way? To those who rented the House of Scientists and tomorrow will say, 'well, we don't check what they're going to do there'," wrote Gerych.

After the party, on Monday, November 29, a post appeared stating that the House of Scientists had been temporarily closed for violating quarantine rules.

However, journalist Oleksandr Rudomanov believes that bloggers "understand only the motivation of money, not words."

"No advertising contracts – no money," he added on his Facebook, thereby starting a new flash mob.

The list of bloggers' employers includes many well-known brands.

After the "hungry party" scandal, social media users are going to these brands' pages and demanding answers: will the companies continue to work with Zalisko and his guests, and do they share their position on celebrations on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holodomor?

So far, none of the companies has officially stated its position. However, in comments, Pepsi Co Ukraine noted that it officially ended its cooperation with blogger Zalisko back in October 2021.