Comedian Maxim Galkin, who has faced designation as a foreign agent in Russia, announced that his concert tour in Israel was postponed due to the country’s ongoing military conflict with Hamas. He shared the update on a social media platform, noting that the platform’s ownership is controversial in Russia.
During the tour, the artist had 16 events scheduled for Israel, with the first planned to take place in Beersheba. In his message, Galkin expressed concern about the situation on the ground and announced that each performance would be rescheduled. The “Beautiful Nearby” tour was pushed to a later date in Israel, with plans to begin in the spring following the originally planned fall 2023 timeframe.
“Let’s take care of ourselves. Let’s hope for a peaceful sky and a quick peace,” Galkin commented.
In October, Galkin departed from Israel and traveled to Cyprus as part of his tour. He indicated that Europe would soon host performances, with engagements announced for audiences in Poland, Moldova, and England.
On October 7, the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, declared a large-scale operation against Israel. On that day, thousands of rockets were fired into Israeli territory, and more than two hundred hostages were reported. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was at war.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords, aiming to dismantle Hamas. Air forces carried out strikes on numerous Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s National Security Council decided to restrict essential supplies to the region, including water, food, electricity and fuel.
Earlier in the timeline, Maxim Galkin left Israel as part of the tour’s disruptions and adjustments.