Did Kanye West visit Russia? Here's what we know

Russian state media on Sunday claimed that Kanye West (who also goes by "Ye") was visiting Moscow. If true, the trip would make West the first major American celebrity to visit Russia since the Kremlin began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, per CNN.

CNN reported that the brand team Gosha Rubchinskiy — who serves as head of design for West's brand, Yeezy — indicated that West had arrived in the capital as part of a private list. Other reports from Russian state media alleged that West had posted on the Russian social media website VK, and was captured on video with his security guards in Moscow.

Russia's Luznhiki Stadium also shut down rumors that the rapper would be performing there, telling state media that the information was "hype and fake," according to CNN.

The controversial West has seen mounting public scrutiny in the past several years for making comments that have been widely panned as antisemitic. He has also been accused of engaging in discriminatory and abusive behavior. In April, West was sued by a former employee who accused him of threatening staff and students at Donda Academy, his private and unaccredited Christian school in Ventura County, Calif.