Kanye West’s planned Russia concerts are officially off, just days before the rapper was set to take the stage in St. Petersburg.
Ye, 49, had been scheduled to perform Oct. 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena, but promoter Say Agency confirmed the dates will not happen as planned.
“Friends, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that the Ye concerts in Saint Petersburg on the scheduled dates will not be able to take place,” the company said in a Telegram statement.
Say Agency said it would share more information about the project’s future and added that ticket refunds will become available Oct. 12.
The cancellation follows weeks of uncertainty surrounding the shows. Gazprom Arena previously said it had not signed a rental agreement with the promoter, even though the concerts had earlier been advertised.
The dates also drew criticism in Russia because of Ye’s past antisemitic remarks and his previous praise of Adolf Hitler. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova publicly objected to the planned performances.
Ye apologized earlier this year in a full-page newspaper ad, writing, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”