Kanye West, the rapper now known as Ye, has announced tour dates in Russia for October, making him the first major Western performer to play in the country since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, according to the BBC.
The two shows are set for the 70,000-capacity Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, and tickets reportedly sold out within hours of going on sale Monday. Prices ranged from 9,000 roubles (about $105) to 160,000 roubles (roughly $1,880), the BBC reported.
West has been largely ostracized in the West following years of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, as Breitbart News previously reported. He issued an apology in January, attributing his statements to a brain injury and bipolar disorder.
That apology took the form of a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, in which he apologized to the Black community and for his antisemitic comments while detailing his struggle with bipolar type-1 disorder. “I lost touch with reality,” he said in the ad.
The mea culpa did not stop the UK from barring him entry two months ago. The Wireless Festival was cancelled in April after the UK Home Office confirmed that West would be denied entry to the country, a decision that made front pages across British newspapers.
Concerts in France, Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic were also scrapped.
A long-rumored Russian return
The musician has been linked to a Russian performance for some time. Most recently, in 2024, he visited the country to celebrate the birthday of fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, with whom he has collaborated, the BBC noted.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western acts regularly toured the country — artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Muse, and System of a Down all played there. Now West is set to join that list, albeit under vastly different geopolitical circumstances.
The announcement comes as Western cultural institutions have largely boycotted Russia over the war, making West’s decision to perform there a striking outlier. It remains unclear how Russian authorities will treat the concerts or whether any additional Western acts will follow West’s lead.
Neither West’s representatives nor the Gazprom Arena have publicly commented beyond the ticket announcement. The BBC’s report did not indicate whether additional dates might be added.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/08/18/kanye-west-to-tour-russia-in-first-visit-by-western-performer-since-invasion-of-ukraine/