The American rapper known as Kanye West will hold two performances in Russia after his concerts were canceled in several European countries due to ambiguous statements concerning Israel and Adolf Hitler.
As confirmed on Monday by his producer Joseph Carré and local organizer SAY Agency, the Western artist will perform at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11. These concerts will be part of the Ye Live Concert Tour 2026, which is timed with the release of his twelfth album, 'Bully.'
West will be one of the few major Western artists to visit Russia since February 2022, following the cessation of cultural ties between many Western nations and Moscow in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials and activists ran a campaign urging foreign performers not to come to Russia and pressured other countries not to host Russian artists, including orchestras and ballet dancers. Moscow, however, dismissed this campaign as a futile attempt to 'cancel Russian culture.'
In June 2024, West visited Moscow for the birthday of designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, with whom he collaborated on his Yeezy clothing. However, Rubchinskiy ended their relationship the following year.
In recent years, West has been accused of spreading antisemitic and neo-Nazi views through his statements in interviews and social media posts. In 2022, while appearing on Infowars, he stated: 'I see good things in Hitler' and 'I love Jews, but I also love Nazis.' He also wore T-shirts and necklaces with swastikas, and in 2025, released a song titled 'Heil Hitler' containing the phrase 'All my n***as Nazis, n***a Heil Hitler' and an audio clip from a 1936 Hitler speech.
Following this, West publicly apologized, attributing his actions to bipolar disorder, as well as 'poor judgment and reckless behavior.'
Last year, the rapper was denied entry into Australia due to a song referencing Hitler. In April, West was banned from entering the UK, where he was scheduled to perform at the Wireless festival, although the event was subsequently canceled. Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the organizers for inviting West 'despite his previous antisemitic remarks and glorification of Nazism.'
In June, West canceled a planned performance in Marseille, France, as authorities reportedly attempted to ban him from entering the country. The Mayor of Reggio Emilia, Italy, banned West's concert scheduled for July 18, citing concerns from the Jewish community. His performance the next day in Chorzów, Poland, was also canceled by the venue.