Rapper Kanye West, will perform two shows in St Petersburg this October, becoming the most well-known western star to play in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

The artist has attracted controversy in recent years, with his antisemitic outbursts and expressions of sympathy towards Nazism increasingly overshadowing his music and making some countries and venues uneasy about hosting his tour.

He is set to perform on 10 and 11 October at St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena.

Russian fans rushed to secure tickets after the shows were announced on Monday. Nearly all of the most expensive tickets, costing upwards of $1,850, were snapped up within hours, according to the concerts’ website. By the evening, the cheapest tickets, priced at about $105, had also sold out.

West had been rumoured to be planning a performance in Russia for some time. Speculation intensified in 2024, when he travelled to Moscow to attend the birthday celebrations of Gosha Rubchinskiy, the Russian fashion designer and longtime collaborator with the rapper.

As well as a series of antisemitic remarks, he has drawn outrage through his embrace of Nazi imagery, even selling T-shirts bearing swastikas and releasing a song titled Heil Hitler.