Maria Kordupel, a representative for the Russian singer Yegor Creed, told socialbites.ca that the artist offered a free lecture titled “Conversations about important topics” for schoolchildren. This statement rebutted claims circulating on Mash, a Telegram channel, that Creed was paid 4.5 million rubles for participating in the project.
According to Creed and his team, the lecture was delivered without charge. The project, described as “Conversations about the important things,” reportedly included a segment on online fraud where Creed’s perspective was framed as authoritative. Creed’s side asserts that he spoke to the audience in a voluntary capacity, emphasizing the value of critical thinking and safe online behavior, rather than financial compensation, and that his remarks were offered pro bono .
Mash Telegram channels later claimed on May 14 that Creed had prepared a two-minute video for the Conversations about the important things project, discussing the types of internet fraud, for which the artist allegedly received 4.5 million rubles. The video allegedly began with the line, “I don’t know what this video will teach you – most likely nothing.” In the clip, Creed allegedly defined what fraud is and how to distinguish between fake and real information. The training video reportedly lasted one minute, with a second segment in which he announced a concert. Reports from Mash indicated the video appeared briefly before the Telegram channel removed the article.
Earlier in the year, Creed’s Twitch channel was restricted, with the exact reason not disclosed. In early 2023, attention from the League of Safe Internet and the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation had focused on the channels of several Russian bloggers for suspected illegal advertising of online casinos. Creed’s representatives and fans have suggested that the moderation actions were part of broader scrutiny on digital promotions within the online entertainment community, rather than a direct consequence of Creed’s conduct .