American rock band The Killers apologized after singer Brandon Flora invited a Russian fan onstage at a live performance in Georgia.

At a efficiency on Tuesday on the Black Sea Enviornment in Batumi, Flora introduced the fan onstage to play drums at the tune “For Causes Unknown.”

Georgia is a former Soviet state and a 5th of its territory continues to be occupied via Russia, which invaded in 2008.

In movies circulating on social media, Flora requested the target audience: “We don’t know the etiquette of this land however this man’s a Russian. You ok with a Russian arising right here?”

Fanatics spoke back with a mix of boos and applause.

Flora tried to placate the target audience via announcing: “You’ll’t acknowledge if any person’s your brother? He’s no longer your brother? … All of us separate at the borders of our nations … Am I no longer your brother, being from The usa?

“This night, I need us to have fun that we’re right here in combination and I don’t need it to show unsightly. And I see you as my brothers and my sisters,” Flora added. Some concertgoers left the world in protest, the Parent reported.

The Killers later apologized on X, previously referred to as Twitter. “It was once by no means our goal to offend someone!” the band wrote, including that they often invite other people on level at their displays and “it appeared from the level that the preliminary reaction from the gang indicated that they have been ok with this night’s target audience participation member coming onstage with us.”

Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Family members between the 2 international locations deteriorated within the following years, with the election of a pro-Western govt in Georgia in 2003 and Russia’s invasion in 2008, all through which Moscow occupied northern Georgia.

For the reason that get started of the struggle in Ukraine — which has brought about an inflow of Russians to Georgia and boosted its financial system — the Georgian govt has refused to take part in Western sanctions towards the Kremlin.