Health have canceled upcoming shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the rock band announced on Monday (Feb. 28).
“Though we do not wish to penalize our fans for governmental decisions that are beyond their control, given the current state of affairs we will no longer be performing our previously scheduled shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow,” the group wrote in a statement shared to Instagram. “Our thoughts go our to the people of Ukraine.”
Health is following in the footsteps of a number of others acts that canceled their Russian tour dates, including AJR and Green Day.
“With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow at Spartak Stadium,” explained Green Day over the weekend via an Instagram Story. “We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it’s much bigger than that. But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future. Refunds available at the point of purchase. Stay safe.”
The Eurovision Song Contest also revealed that the country will be banned from participating in this year’s competition.
After months of military buildup along the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in the early morning hours of Feb. 24 that he was deploying a “special military operation into Ukraine. That has since turned into a full-on, unprovoked attack on the country, with Russian troops nearing the capital of Kyiv on Friday.