Russian state media claim Kanye West is visiting Moscow

Kanye West arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Feb. 9, 2020. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Russian state media claimed Sunday that American rapper and producer Kanye West is visiting Moscow, but CNN has not been able to independently verify he is actually there.

West, who now goes by Ye, arrived in Moscow on a private visit, according to the brand team for Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, state media TASS reported. Rubchinskiy is the head of design for the rapper’s fashion brand Yeezy.

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West himself allegedly posted on the Russian social media website VK on Sunday saying, “Hi, Moscow,” according to state media RIA Novosti. However, his account on VK is not verified.

The visit – if true – would make West the first major American celebrity to visit Moscow since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

CNN has reached out to West’s manager for comment.

Several videos have emerged in Russian media purporting to show West and his security guards in Moscow, but he is not clearly identifiable in the footage.

Music producer Yana Rudkovskaya also posted a video that purportedly shows West’s back, as he walks into a room followed by security.

She said, “According to my information, tomorrow he and the team will go and see Luzhniki (stadium).”

The music producer added that she “hopes” he will one day perform there but nothing is confirmed.

Luzhniki Stadium told Russian state media that there is no information about a Kanye West concert set to take place in the capital.

“The information that Kanye West may hold his concert in Moscow is hype and fake, Eduard Ratnikov, general director of the TCI (Talent Concert International) agency, told TASS,” the outlet also reported.