Louis Tomlinson has cancelled his concerts in Moscow and Kyiv in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 30-year-old was due to perform at the Stereo Plaza venue in the Ukrainian capital on July 4, before heading to Russia to play at Circus City Hall in Moscow on July 6.
The former One Direction star wrote on Instagram: “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.”
View this post on Instagram
“The safety of my fans is my main priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war,” he added.
Last week, Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.
The Russian invasion occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning after Putin announced a “special military operation” in the Donbas area of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin threatened “consequences you have never faced in your history” for “anyone who tries to interfere with us.” His speech, intended to justify the invasion of Ukraine, seemed to come close to threatening nuclear war. https://t.co/98DJWNFYOo pic.twitter.com/AEUXpmJ2Uy
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 24, 2022
A number of world leaders, including US president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Boris Johnson, have since condemned Moscow’s “unprovoked and unjustified” attack of Ukraine, and announced serious sanctions against Russia.
The Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September has been cancelled in response to Russia’s attacks, and the International Olympic Committee has urged sporting federations with other events planned for Russia or Belarus to do the same.
Russia has also been banned from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
View this post on Instagram