Guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe of Rammstein moved toward one another before kissing during a performance of the song “Aüslander” at Luzhniki Stadium on Monday (July 30). The German industrial metallers posted a photo of the moment on their Instagram page with the caption: “Russia, we love you!” Earlier in the month, RAMMSTEIN surprised fans during a concert in Chorzów, Poland by waving rainbow and Polish flags while travelling from one stage to another in little inflatable boats. Tomasz Kołodziejczyk, head of the local LGBT foundation Stowarzyszenie Tęczówka, said the band reached out to them prior to the concert and asked to borrow the flags. The move was widely seen as the band’s response to recent events in Poland where attacks on the LGBT people by extremist far-right nationalists are on the rise.

 

In 2013, Russia passed a controversial law that can see people arrested for behavior that is deemed to promote homosexuality. The law provides for Russian citizens engaged in the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation” to be fined, while foreigners can be arrested and immediately deported.