Social Media Saves Russian Air Cadets Filmed Dancing In Their Underwear From Expulsion

PICTURE: Alexis Jigurdinski

A video shared online of Russian Air Cadets dancing in their underwear has caused big trouble.

However, thanks to the power of social media they have been spared expulsion.

The video showing the cadets in underwear, caps and harnesses, dancing to 'Satisfaction' by Benny Benassi at the Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation, has been viewed over five million times and caused controversy in Russia. It was labelled "outrageous" by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency.

However, the authorities softened their stance after the cadets' behaviour was defended online by thousands of people.

A petition stating the aviation school should not expel the cadets has been signed over 40,000 times and many dismissed the video as harmless fun.

Even the mayor of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Yevgeny Roizman, got involved saying:

 "My cadets are the coolest, they made a jaw-dropping clip and showed that they are audacious and nimble-witted… Our school is the best. But those who would talk nonsense about my cadets will deal with me."

In response to the support for the cadets the governor of the Ulyanovsk region declared - and posted on Facebook - that expelling the students would not "add to their patriotism or upbringing" and said he will meet with the young men and their parents to discuss the issue.

It was also pointed out that a similar video of British military personnel dancing to the same song in 2013, and widely shared online since then, did not receive such an extreme response from the authorities in the UK.