Ukrainian beauty queen sparks fury in her homeland over lavish £4m Cannes wedding with private Ricky Martin show... while Kyiv begs around the world for war funds

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:53, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 10:55, 30 June 2026 A Ukrainian model has sparked fury after sharing footage of her lavish £4m wedding in Cannes, which featured a private performance by Ricky Martin, appearances by several Russian celebrities, and a private drone show. Meanwhile, her home country has consistently made emergency financial appeals to its allies to avoid running out of cash for its war effort. Nika Kuznetsova, from Kharkiv, married billionaire Georgian businessman Nika Lomia, at the Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes in April. The couple spent millions on their extravagant wedding and afterparty, where champagne flowed alongside lavish spreads of caviar and flowers, a spectacular fireworks and drone display, and a private performance by Ricky Martin, whose fee is estimated to be around £1.1 million. Footage shared on Kuznetsova's Instagram shows the bride wearing a £473,000 Richard Mille gown as she walks down a flower-lined aisle with her groom. Aerial shots capture the stunning venue, which costs around £215,000 to rent, as well as dazzling pyrotechnics, a sprawling villa and a fleet of luxury cars arriving for the celebrations. Guests are later seen enjoying performances by ballerinas and dancers in elaborate costumes before Martin takes to the stage alongside Russian singer Valery Meladze and Russian TV host Maxim Galkin. Aerial shots capture the stunning venue, which costs around £215,000 to rent Nika Kuznetsova, from Kharkiv , married billionaire Georgian businessman, Nika Lomia, at the Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes  The couple spent millions on their extravagant wedding and afterparty The lavish display of wealth, coupled with the appearance of the two Russian stars, sparked backlash online, with Ukrainians flooding the comments on her Instagram video to express their anger.  One person wrote: 'Europeans are paying for drones to help defend their country. Shame on them all. If I were in their place, I wouldn't have the nerve to be out dancing.' Another one added: 'How much has she donated to the war effort? What has she done to help widows with children?  'Then you see Zelensky begging the world for money to keep the war going, and the amount spent on this wedding is indecent. And she's supposed to be a patriot? Tell me again how she's helping her country.' A third person said: 'It's an unbearable display of arrogance when the country survives thanks to donations.' One commenter questioned: 'Couldn't they have somehow arranged a wedding for one million and donated another 4 to the Ukrainian Armed Forces?' And another expressed their anger at the Russian stars being in attendance, writing: 'Should Ukrainians invite Meladze and Galkin to their wedding? May as well invite Putin, why not.' However, not all comments were negative. Many well-wishers took to the comments to congratulate the couple in both Russian and Ukrainian.  One person wrote: 'People have money and have the right to celebrate as they please.  'The wedding was abroad so they can invite whoever they want. And if someone is jealous, that's their business.' Responding to the backlash, Kuznetsova said on social media: 'I didn't expect all these insults under the guise of patriotism.' 'I love my country very much. But patriotism and aggression are not synonymous.' The 24-year-old, who has been living in Monaco since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, added that she is not affected by all 'this hatred.'  'Personally, it doesn't bother me one way or the other. I wish these people genuine happiness, because a happy person would never vent their anger on strangers on the internet,' she said. The wedding featured a private performance by Ricky Martin, whose fee is estimated to be around £1.1 million Kuznetsova has been a model since age 11 and previously studied international economics The 24-year-old, who has been living in Monaco since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, added that she is not affected by all 'this hatred' Lomia proposed to her on their second date and the pair have been living together ever since Kuznetsova, a former Miss Grand Ukraine contestant, met her husband - the founder of IT company Spribe - through social media.  The billionaire, who made his fortune through online casinos, sent her flowers before the pair began exchanging messages. The pair then met in person, and their first date was at a McDonalds, according to the beauty queen who shared their story on Instagram. 'Even the simplest thing can be the most romantic if you're with the right person,' she wrote on social media.  Lomia proposed to her on their second date, and the pair have been living together ever since. Kuznetsova has been a model since age 11 and previously studied international economics.  Before meeting her husband, she had also worked as a hostess-administrator, a call centre operator and a promoter. She revealed on her Instagram that she has now stepped away from work and is ready to focus on building a family.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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