American rapper Kanye West visits Moscow, Russian media reports

American rapper Kanye West arrived in Moscow to celebrate the birthday of fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky.

The news followed rumors last month that West would perform a concert in Moscow.

Western artists have mostly stopped performing in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which led to massive U.S. and European sanctions against Moscow, as well as travel restrictions to the country.

Kanye West, who has sparked controversy with his political statements in the United States and was recently accused of praising Adolf Hitler, has expressed admiration for President Vladimir Putin in the past.

“Kanye West is already in Moscow! This is excellent news, he is staying in the heart of the capital,” Russian television presenter Yana Rudkovskaya said on social media, quoted by the state news agency TASS.

But the Luzhniki stadium, where he is rumored to be performing, told state media that it had no information about possible concerts by the famous rapper.