Millions spent on Ricky Martin and Galkin: Ukrainian beauty queen infuriates social media with lavish wedding in Cannes

Ukrainian model and beauty queen Nika Kuznetsova has found herself at the center of a massive scandal in her homeland. The cause of her compatriots' fury was social media footage of her ultra-expensive wedding in Cannes, while Kyiv continues to ask the global community for financial assistance to wage military operations, Daily Mail reports.

The 24-year-old Kharkiv native married Georgian billionaire Nika Lomia, the founder of the IT company Spribe and owner of an online casino. The celebration took place at the famous Château de la Croix des Gardes, where renting the venue cost the couple approximately £215,000. In total, over £4 million (about $5 million) was spent on the lavish event, where black caviar and champagne flowed like water.

A half-million-pound dress and a private Ricky Martin concert

In the Instagram footage, the bride walks down the aisle—decorated with thousands of fresh flowers—in an exclusive dress from Richard Mille valued at £473,000. Guests were entertained by ballet troupes, and the culmination of the evening was a private performance by Ricky Martin, whose appearance fee is estimated at £1.1 million. The wedding concluded with a massive pyrotechnic and drone show.

However, what caused the greatest stir was the appearance of Russian artists on stage: singer Valery Meladze and showman Maxim Galkin performed for the guests.

"Europeans are chipping in for drones, while she dances": The wrath of compatriots

Ukrainian social media users literally swarmed the comments section under the model’s wedding video, accusing her of cynicism and a lack of patriotism.

"Europeans are giving up their last pennies to help our country, and she has the nerve to throw parties like this."

"How much did she donate to the army? The President is begging the whole world for money, and this luxury is just obscene. And she calls herself a patriot?"

"Inviting Meladze and Galkin to a Ukrainian wedding? Well, they might as well have invited Putin right away, why stop there?" outraged followers wrote.

Nevertheless, there were those who came to the newlyweds' defense, noting that the couple earned their money honestly and have every right to celebrate abroad however they wish.

The model’s response: "Patriotism and aggression are different things"

Nika Kuznetsova herself, who left Ukraine at the very beginning of the war, stated that online hate does not affect her.

"I love my country very much. But patriotism and aggression are not synonyms," the model responded on social media. "Personally, this hatred doesn't touch me at all. I wish these people sincere happiness, because a happy person will never pour out anger on strangers online."

She met her billionaire husband on social media, and their first date, according to her, took place in a regular McDonald's. The model has already announced that she is retiring from her career and plans to fully dedicate herself to her family.