In Kyiv, a concert by Ukrainian rappers performing in Russian was banned

A concert of Ukrainian rap performers and DJs, scheduled to take place today at Panorama Bar on Holosiivskyi Avenue in Kyiv, has been banned by the city authorities.

According to posters on Instagram, the event was set to begin at 4:30 p.m. The lineup was to include artists Andrew Skat, KhTB, Vasya Kimo, Ogtorch, among others.

However, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Timur Tkachenko, announced on his Telegram channel that the concert would not take place.

“For those who have forgotten, I remind you: back in 2023, the Kyiv City Council imposed a moratorium on the public use of Russian-language cultural products in the capital. Therefore, as a preventive measure, I am turning to law enforcement. The concert will not happen. Russian rap will not be tolerated in Ukraine’s capital,” Tkachenko wrote.

Earlier, language ombudsman Olena Ivanovska noted that under current law, only performances of songs by Russian Federation citizens are banned — not songs in the Russian language itself. In other words, Kyiv’s authorities are placing their own directives above the law.

Language-related scandals regularly arise in Ukraine, often involving musicians. For example, this summer a performance by Verka Serduchka in Russian sparked controversy: people at the concert supported the singer, while online commentators condemned it.