Russian rapper Oxxxymiron has given an anti-war concert in Istanbul during which he collected funds for Ukraine amid President Putin’s warning to “traitors”.

Oxxxymiron, whose real name is Miron Yanovich Fyodorov, performed in the district of Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Turkey’s largest city, on the night of 15th March.

The concert was live-streamed on social media platforms including Twitch and YouTube, through which listeners were able to donate to the good cause.

Generous donors manage to raise USD 20,000 (GBP 15,200), 100 per cent of which Oxxxymiron said will go to Ukrainian refugees.

Tickets for the concert sold out, and Oxxxymiron said that all the proceeds will also go to those who have been left displaced from the ongoing Russian invasion.

The concert was the first in a series of anti-war concerts Oxxxymiron plans to give in Istanbul, where he noted that lots of Russian ex-pats live.

In a video posted to his social media platforms including Instagram, where the rapper boasts a cool 2.2 million followers, the rapper announced directly into the camera: “Today my nose is red from the cold, I’m cheerful but very angry. I’m angry because sh*t’s still f*cked up, because the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than two weeks. And yet there are tens of millions of Russians who categorically disagree with this war. And I think this should be said as loudly as possible.

“So I’m announcing a series of my charity concerts called ‘Russians Against War’ or RAW for short. Right now it’s impossible to organise an anti-war concert in Russia. Because as insane as it may sound, everything anti-war is illegal these days. Total censorship has been implemented and anyone who speaks out against the war in any way becomes a potential target for criminal prosecution.”

Oxxxymiron noted that his compatriots living in Istanbul could support the cause by coming along to his concerts or donating via social media.

He told his followers: “If you are against this war, against the war in Ukraine and against repressions in Russia, then come to Twitch and other streams, come to the show. See you there, peace!”

The concert came just a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a stern warning to “traitors”, who he claimed the West planned to use as a “fifth column” to destroy Russia from within.

Putin’s war on Ukraine is now in its 22nd day.