The Police Have Taken An Interest In Rapper Kanye West's Concerts In Russia
1- 30.09.2026, 19:21
The organizers of the canceled concerts are being investigated for fraud.
In St. Petersburg, law enforcement agencies have launched a preliminary investigation into possible fraud by the organizer of canceled concerts in that city by rapper Kanye West.
According to "Kommersant", the collected evidence will soon be transferred to Moscow, and the central office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will join the investigation. This is because Say Agency LLC, which organized the artist’s performance, is based in the Russian capital. Lawsuits have already been filed against the agency in several Russian cities, demanding reimbursement for purchased tickets and transportation costs.
According to a source at Kommersant, the Petrogradsky District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is conducting a preliminary investigation into possible fraud on an especially large scale (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) by the organizer of the canceled Kanye West concerts in St. Petersburg. According to some reports, the investigation was allegedly prompted by a complaint from a member of the local legislative assembly, who in turn had received complaints from ticket buyers who were denied refunds for the canceled concert.
According to a source, the evidence gathered by the St. Petersburg police is scheduled to be sent to Moscow.
“Whether or not there are grounds to open a criminal case on charges of fraud will be decided by the central office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If necessary, they will also conduct an additional investigation into the activities of the organizer of the canceled concerts, who is based in the capital,” the source told Kommersant.
Two performances by American rapper Kanye West were scheduled to take place at Gazprom Arena on October 10 and 11. The event was organized by the Moscow-based company Say Agency. It announced Kanye West’s solo concerts in Russia on August 17. Tickets ranged from 9,000 to 160,000 rubles for a seat in the VIP box, and 25,000 rubles for the dance floor. The organizer claimed that approximately 81,000 tickets were sold on the first day, and more than 100,000 over two days.
Initially, the concert announcement also appeared on Gazprom Arena’s own websites. However, on August 24, the stadium administration reported that there was no lease agreement with Say Agency, and—according to the venue—the advertising campaign and ticket sales had begun without the documents required to hold the concert. For their part, the organizers stated that they learned of the stadium’s position at the same time as the audience. The agency claimed that the announcement and the start of ticket sales had been approved by an official letter from the venue, that a contract with Ye himself had already been signed, and that the artist had been paid an advance.
Sources at Kommersant explain the situation by noting that complaints began pouring into Smolny after the announcement of Kanye West’s concerts.
The complainants opposed the artist’s visit due to his past anti-Semitic remarks, his praise of Adolf Hitler, and his use of Nazi symbols, considering his performance unacceptable in a city that had endured the blockade. The City Committee on Culture did not comment on the fate of the concerts, while Vice Governor Boris Piotrovsky described the situation as a matter between commercial entities.
After “Gazprom Arena” announced again on September 4 that there were no concerts by foreign artists on its October schedule, the event organizer was inundated with a barrage of complaints demanding refunds not only for purchased tickets but also for emotional distress and transportation costs. Many Kanye West fans from other cities had purchased plane and train tickets in advance. After several refusals, lawsuits were filed in court. Now, law enforcement agencies will also assess Say Agency’s actions. The agency did not respond to a request from Kommersant regarding the situation.
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