Kanye West was mobbed by fans in Russia as he headed to Moscow for a surprise visit.
The American rapper, 47, was reportedly in the country to celebrate Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy’s 40th birthday, and not for a concert.
Kanye hired the post-Soviet fashion poster boy as creative director of his Yeezy brand in December 2023, describing Rubchinskiy as “legendary.”
He announced his arrival in the city with a post on the state-controlled website VKontakte – Russia’s answer to Facebook – writing in Russian: “Hello Moscow.”
Kanye has previously said he is “pro-Putin” and once referred to himself as a “Young Putin” during an interview on the Drink Champs podcast.
Footage allegedly shows him on the Moscow metro, while other videos show him in a five-star hotel near the Kremlin after arriving by private jet.
Kanye reportedly saw the Kremlin and Red Square from a viewing platform on the roof of the GUM department store.
It was later reported that Kanye stayed in the £10,150-a-night presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, which has stunning views of St Basil’s Cathedral.
The rapper is reportedly traveling to Moscow with his wife Bianca Censori, 29, although she has not been seen walking, according to Russian media. This comes after the pair were spotted together in Paris and Tokyo this month.
Showbiz outlet Moskvichka claimed that the reason Kanye West’s visit to Moscow was the 40th birthday celebration of Russian designer Gosha Rubchinsky (pictured with Kanye), and not for a concert.
Russian media claim Kanye West has arrived in Moscow. He is said to be pictured above
Footage allegedly shows Kanye West on the Moscow subway, a sample of which can be seen above
The rapper is reportedly traveling to Moscow with his wife Bianca Censori, 29, although she was not seen on any walkabouts, according to Russian media.
Fans wait for Kanye West at the Four Seasons Hotel in central Moscow, where the American rapper is believed to be staying
Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori dismissed concerns about the rapper’s children about her risqué dress sense as she went shopping in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kanye West and Bianca Censori attend the Prototypes Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show on June 19
Prominent producer Yana Rudkovskaya was among those who claimed that West had landed in Russia: ‘Kanye West is already in Moscow! This is super news!
‘Staying in the heart of the capital! Fingers crossed for the show in Luzhniki! [stadium].’
She had previously announced that the American star would perform in Moscow in the fall.
“I’m involved,” she boasted, but there has been no official confirmation yet – and there are denials about an immediate crackdown.
Putin-controlled state media outlet RIA Novosti claims West is in Moscow, as does the wartime channel Zvezda, which is seen as a mouthpiece for the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Luzhniki Stadium denied that Kayne West would give a concert soon.
One of West’s representatives previously denied that the rapper would come to Russia to make the country his “second home,” as Russian media claimed in 2022.
West’s representative, Pierre Rougier, said Rolling stone that these claims were ‘completely fabricated’.
If this turns out to be true, the West’s presence in Moscow will be seen by many as a boost to Putin’s regime.
But one of Putin’s staunchest supporters, unofficial moral patron Ekaterina Mizulina, 39, insisted in May that the star was not welcome in Russia.
“We don’t need Kanye West with his naked wife,” she said. “We already have enough of our own ‘naked’ parties.”
However, other Putin supporters believe it would be a triumph if the leading singer finally performs in Russia.
It was later reported that Kanye West stayed in the £10,150-a-night presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, with stunning views of St Basil’s Cathedral.
The Australian architect, who has become Kanye West’s wife and muse, was spotted in Paris this month in a very revealing outfit in which she eschewed a top in favor of bandage-style halter suspenders that covered only her nipples
Other videos allegedly showed him at a five-star hotel near the Kremlin after a reported arrival by private jet.
Putin-backed TV host and media manager Tina Kandelaki, 48, claimed in May: “Kanye will be with us soon… Our Russian brands are already sewing fleece swimsuits for the outrageous musician’s wife.”
She claimed to rival broadcasters that her TV channel already had rights for Kanye West’s tour to Moscow.
“I want to warn you that all rights for a possible broadcast of the concert are already in the hands of TNT. Do not try to lure our overseas comrade to your camp,” she said.
Mizulina, a London-trained art historian, heads the Safe Internet League, founded to censor the internet and “combat banned content” in Russia.
She is the daughter of a staunchly pro-Putin, anti-Ukrainian senator, and was reported last month to have gotten “close” to Putin amid rumors of a romantic link. She is at the forefront of his drive to return Russia to traditional values.