Organizers confirmed that two sold-out concerts at which Kanye West was scheduled to perform in Russia were canceled after weeks of confusion, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.
The American rapper, who now goes by Ye, was scheduled to perform at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11.
In a post published on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday, organizer Say Agency announced that the shows would no longer take place.
"Friends, it is with sincere regret that we announce that Ye's concerts in St. Petersburg will not take place on the scheduled dates," the Moscow agency wrote.
"We will contact you shortly with an official statement regarding the project's status and future plans.
"Say Agency is very grateful to everyone who has been with us over these past month and a half: supporting us, worrying, and, like us, waiting for these concerts with all their hearts. We remain in touch and continue to work."
The agency added that ticket refunds would be available from Monday, October 12, with detailed information about the "rules and conditions for refunds."
We should add
The publication notes that the announcement of the concerts' cancellation was preceded by weeks of confusion over the status of the shows. Gazprom Arena initially posted enthusiastically about the concerts on social media, calling Ye "the most influential musical artist of our time." Then, in August, after the concerts had sold out, the company said it had not signed a stadium rental agreement with the concert organizers, meaning the concert could not take place on its premises.
Kanye West to perform in Moscow for $1.2 million - Russian media08.10.25, 21:54
The arena emphasized that it "bears no" responsibility for the bookings and acknowledged that it had received complaints about the shows.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova previously called the planned shows unacceptable because of Ye's "glorification" of Hitler.
Politician Nikolai Novichkov called for an investigation into the musician for praising Hitler and said the concerts should be canceled unless he publicly declares his "moral support for Russia and the special operation (the war in Ukraine — ed.)."
Last year, Ye began selling swastika T-shirts and released a song titled Heil Hitler.
In January, he published a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal to apologize, under the title: "To Those I Have Hurt."
He wrote: "I am not a Nazi and not an anti-Semite. I love Jewish people."
Kanye West apologized to Jews for past antisemitic statements - Bild07.11.25, 13:10
The rapper said that his bipolar disorder led him into a "four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid, and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life."
The publication emphasizes that Ye's plan to perform in Russia — following Paul Oakenfold, DaBaby, Jason Derulo, and Akon — disregards sweeping sanctions and calls for a cultural boycott after the country invaded Ukraine in 2022.
In April, Ye's performance in France was postponed after he was denied a visa to the United Kingdom, which led to the cancellation of his appearances at London's Wireless festival amid a backlash following his antisemitic statements.
Ye was scheduled to perform at the Pulse of Gaia festival at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia in July, but the city's prefect, Salvatore Angieri, halted the concerts after the local Jewish community expressed "concern."
Kanye West banned from entering Britain, Wireless festival cancelled07.04.26, 20:09