American rapper Kanye West will perform in St. Petersburg in October, according to a post from the managers of Gazprom Arena, the stadium where two of his concerts are scheduled to take place.
West's concerts were canceled or banned in several European countries this year, following a series of anti-Semitic statements he made, in which he praised Adolf Hitler and used Nazi symbols.
West apologized in January for the comments, which he attributed to an undiagnosed brain injury and a mental disorder for which he is not receiving treatment.
West also held a concert in Tirana in July, which was followed by much controversy due to the government's intervention with 4 million euros to buy unsold tickets.
If the concerts go ahead, West will become one of the biggest international music stars to visit Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ticket prices for the two concerts, scheduled for October 10 and 11, start at 9,000 rubles ($106) and the cheapest tickets sold out within an hour, according to the state news agency TASS.
The most expensive tickets cost 160,000 rubles ($1,885). Gazprom Arena is home to the St. Petersburg football team Zenit and has a capacity of approximately 70,000 spectators. ©LAPSI.al
