A Concert By American Rapper Kanye West Was Canceled In Russia After A Call From The Kremlin
1- 24.08.2026, 21:27
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The performance was scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg at Gazprom Arena.
The concert by American rapper Kanye West in St. Petersburg, which was scheduled to take place on October 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena, will not take place. The venue stated that it had not signed “any lease agreements” with the concert’s organizers—the Moscow-based agency Say Agency—and therefore cannot host the event. However, as recently as August 17, Gazprom Arena had announced West’s upcoming concert and held a ticket giveaway. The announcement was also posted on the stadium’s website, but that page has now been removed.
According to Fontanka’s sources in government agencies, the decision to cancel the concert was made following a call “from above” in Moscow. In addition, the organizers did not receive approval from all the necessary authorities, including the culture committee, but began selling tickets nonetheless. One of the publication’s sources reported that West was to be paid a fee of 1.5 billion rubles. In turn, a source at “VChK-OGPU” claimed that the initiative to ban the American rapper’s concert in St. Petersburg came from friends of President Vladimir Putin—the brothers Mikhail and Yuri Kovalchuk. Also, according to the source, director Nikita Mikhalkov is opposed to West’s visit.
Say Agency told RBC that it was unaware of the concert’s cancellation. The agency’s CEO, Anna Subcheva, said that it had signed a contract with the artist and began selling tickets based on an official letter sent to Gazprom Arena. According to them, the venue sent them a contract that the parties were supposed to sign by August 27. Subcheva stated that she would investigate the circumstances of the incident. Information about the concerts remains on the Say Agency website for now.
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