Kanye West's St Petersburg concerts cancelled on scheduled opening night

The two sold-out concerts the US rapper formerly known as Kanye West, now performing as Ye, had planned to play at St Petersburg's 68,000-seat Gazprom Arena on 10 and 11 October 2026 were cancelled, Moscow-based promoter Say Agency confirmed in the days leading up to the first show, with wide follow-up coverage on 10 October. The shows would have made Ye the first major Western music star to perform in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian media reported that authorities took the decision and are investigating the organisers for alleged fraud, with premium VIP tickets reportedly priced up to 1,880 US dollars. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had earlier called the planned performances 'unacceptable', citing the artist's past glorification of Hitler in a country invaded by Nazi Germany. Ukrainian officials and cultural boycott campaigners had publicly pressed for cancellation. Euronews, Newsweek, Rolling Out and United24 Media devoted explainers to the cancellation on and around 10 October. Say Agency said a further statement on refunds and the project's status would follow. The cancelled dates come amid a wider debate over Western artists performing in Russia during the ongoing war.