Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine in the early morning hours of Feb. 24 that has left hundreds dead and many injured, and in response, music artists are protesting the violence by canceling their upcoming concerts in the country.
After months of military buildup along the Ukrainian border, Putin announced that he was deploying a “special military operation” into Ukraine that has since turned into an unprovoked attack on the country. Putin is demanding that Ukraine demilitarizes, and is aiming to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, a defensive alliance of 30 countries including the United States.
See below for our ongoing list of artists who have canceled scheduled concerts in Russia.
Green Day
Green Day had been scheduled to perform on May 29 at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 45,000.
“With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow at Spartak Stadium,” the band explained 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.”
Louis Tomlinson
Tomlinson was scheduled to perform in Kyiv’s Stereo Plaza in Ukraine on July 4 before traveling to Moscow, Russia, to perform at Circus City Hall on July 6 as part of his 2022 World Tour, in support of his 2020 debut album Walls.
“Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to sadly announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are cancelled until further notice,” he wrote in a short note to his fans on Twitter. “The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war.”
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) February 28, 2022
Yungblud
“I’m heartbroken to announce I will be cancelling my Russian shows scheduled for this summer,” the “Strawberry Lipstick” rocker shared via Twitter on Monday (Feb. 28). “Heartbroken because I know the vicious and brutal acts of the Russian regime in Ukraine over the past week do not reflect the attitudes and ideals of the beautiful people who I have met in Russia in the past!”
Yungblud then added a message to the Ukrainian people, writing, “My heart is with you – you’ve already shown such strength and determination, resisting this needless invasion. Everyone deserves to be the creator of their own destiny, rather than having it forced upon them by acts of war and aggression. Ukraine, I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can!”
— YUNGBLUD (@yungblud) February 28, 2022
AJR
“We are sad to announce that we will be cancelling our upcoming show in Russia,” the group tweeted on Friday (Feb. 25) about their concert in Moscow, originally scheduled for October 22. “Thank you to our Russian fans who oppose their country’s unprovoked and criminal behavior. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. At this point, the best thing you can do is share ACCURATE info.”
We are sad to announce that we will be cancelling our upcoming show in Russia. Thank you to our Russian fans who oppose their country’s unprovoked and criminal behavior. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. At this point, the best thing you can do is share ACCURATE info.
— AJR (@AJRBrothers) February 25, 2022
Health
“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 rock band wrote in a statement shared to Instagram. “Our thoughts go our to the people of Ukraine.”