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US rapper Kanye West visits Moscow
Western artists have mostly avoided performing in Russia since the start of its offensive in Ukraine, which led to massive US and European sanctions and travel restrictions to the country.
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Unbridgeable gap: Kanye West wears a MAGA cap on Oct. 11, 2018 in Washington, D.C. West told Gap on Thursday that he was unilaterally severing his partnership with the retail brand, saying he had plans to open his own stores. (AFP/Saul Loeb)
US rapper Kanye West was in Moscow for a private visit, Russian media reported on Sunday, quoting a well-known Russian producer.
Western artists have mostly avoided performing in Russia since the start of its offensive in Ukraine, which led to massive US and European sanctions and travel restrictions to the country.
Kanye West, who has stirred 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 great news, he is staying in the heart of the capital," the state TASS news agency quoted producer Yana Rudkovskaya as saying on social media.
Ksenia Sobchak, a Russian television anchor, published a short video on Telegram she said showed the rapper observing Red Square from the roof of the GUM department store.
She said West was in Moscow to celebrate the 40th birthday of his friend Gosha Rubchinskiy, a Russian fashion designer.
About a hundred people gathered in front of the Four Seasons hotel hoping to catch sight of him.
Kanye West, also known for his Yeezy fashion line, became a pariah in the world of show business after making repeated anti-Semitic comments in 2022.
Companies such as Adidas, Gap and Balenciaga cut their ties with him.
Rumours swept Moscow last month that he would perform a concert in the Russian capital.
But Luzhniki Stadium, where he was rumoured to perform, told state media it did not have information on a possible concert.
