Questions Raised Over Putin’s Charity Singing Appearance

The purported beneficiaries of a star-studded concert at which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin crooned “Blueberry Hill” have yet to receive any money from the December 2010 event, according to The New York Times and British daily The Independent.

Mr. Putin sang the decades-old hit song and played grand piano before an audience that included Kevin Costner, Mickey Rourke, and Sharon Stone at the St. Petersburg gala, billed as a benefit for hospitals treating children with cancer. But the mother of a 13-year-old patient last week told authorities and the news media that no hospitals have gotten funds.

A spokeswoman for Federation, the newly established Russian group that organized the event, said the concert was intended to raise awareness of the children’s situation rather than money. There have been conflicting accounts in the Russian news media over whether the event raised any money and, if so, how it was distributed.