Why 34-Year-Old Comedian Saburov May Face Jail Time in His Native Kazakhstan 0 7

The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan confirmed to the publication "Kursiv" that it is conducting "verification activities" regarding stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov. The agency did not provide any details in response to the publication's inquiry.

The reason is a video from last year in which the comedian hands over 10 Enduro motorcycles to fighters of the Wagner Legion Istra unit. Kazakh activist Marat Turymbetov appealed to the prosecutor's office demanding to investigate Saburov under the article on mercenarism.

The day before, the Security Service of Ukraine initiated a pre-trial investigation against Saburov.

Saburov was informed of a 50-year entry ban to Russia in early February. State agencies reported that the reason for the entry restriction was Saburov's criticism of the invasion of Ukraine and violations of migration and tax legislation.

Nurlan Saburov was born on December 22, 1991, in the Kazakh city of Stepnogorsk. He was raised by his mother and grandfather — his father left the family when the boy was very young and died when Nurlan was fourteen.

In his childhood, Saburov was seriously involved in sports. He spent eight years in a boxing section. Sometimes, coming to school with bruises from sparring, he would think of how to turn it into a joke. Humor became part of his everyday life.

After school, at his family's insistence, Nurlan moved to Yekaterinburg. He enrolled at Ural Federal University in the Faculty of Physical Education. His studies went alongside part-time jobs: he hosted corporate events, sold coffee, and worked as a loader.

He began performing as a comedian with KVN and later organized stand-up evenings in bars with friends. Initially, the performances were small, but gradually humor ceased to be a hobby and became a profession.

A turning point came when he met Ukrainian stand-up comedian Dmitry Romanov, who was living in Moscow at the time. He advised Saburov to send a video of his performance to TNT. Thus, Nurlan found himself in the "Open Mic" section, where he quickly won the audience's favor and became a regular participant in the show "Stand Up."

By that time, stand-up had already become not just a hobby for Saburov, but his main job. In 2014, when he began receiving regular offers from television, he moved to Moscow with his family, wife Diana, and newborn daughter. Later, a son was also born to the family.

Saburov met his future wife in his youth. He found out that she was expecting a child during a class via SMS, and then he proposed.

Family, especially his wife, became an important part of Saburov's creative material. He often jokes about Diana on stage, and quite harshly. He says that she is "stupid," "needs a brain transplant," and "understands nothing." These routines spread across social media and sparked debates. Later, Nurlan admitted that he felt he had gone too far: "This does not mean that I love her less or treat her the way I do in my jokes. In general, context is important in any joke. Sometimes many routines may seem sexist, but they are not."

Diana Saburova rarely comments on her husband's work. Nurlan emphasizes that he works with an image on stage, while in life, family is what matters most to him.

"One of the Most Promising Russians Under 30"

In April 2019, the first episode of the humorous show "What Happens Next?" was released on the YouTube channel Labelcom. The format quickly gained popularity: guests shared personal stories, and a team of comedians interrupted them, joking on the edge and trying to guess what happened next. Nurlan Saburov was invited to host the show. Among the participants were Lolita, Djigan, Artemy Lebedev, Garik Kharlamov, Miguel, Tarzan, and others.

In January 2022, the show's release was suspended, and new episodes did not come out for more than a year. In the spring of 2023, the project returned on the VK Video platform but lasted there until March 2024.

In the same 2019, Saburov became the hero of an interview with Yuri Dud and appeared on Ivan Urgant's program. In a conversation with Dud, he explained that he does not joke about politics out of fear and because such topics require a very careful approach. Saburov said he is ashamed of this fear, but he sees its root in the system itself, which makes any sharp statements potentially dangerous.

By the beginning of 2020, Nurlan Saburov's tour schedule was booked months in advance, and his fee, according to Forbes, reached ten thousand dollars per performance. In May 2020, the magazine included Saburov in the "30 Under 30" list of the most promising representatives of the Russian media sphere. At that time, he was in the same category as figure skater Alena Kostornaia, singer Morgenshtern, and model Alesya Kafelnikova.

Saburov acquired an apartment in Moscow, a cottage with a land plot in the residential complex "Novorizhskiy" worth about 115 million rubles, and two cars — a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes G-Class.

In the summer of 2021, Saburov participated in the TV show "Game" on TNT, where he became one of the judges. The format resembled KVN but without genre restrictions. The project was quickly closed. The official reason given was the coronavirus pandemic, but the cause could have been an episode featuring a kiss between two men in a sketch about a wedding. After the episode aired in October 2021, the "Veterans of Russia" movement demanded the show's closure due to jokes on LGBT themes.

"You are so brave and 'sharp,' but when it comes to the main thing, you say 'I have a mortgage'"

In addition to harsh jokes about his family, Nurlan Saburov has repeatedly found himself in scandals. In 2018, at a concert in Surgut, he sharply reacted to a girl who answered a call right during his performance and shouted loudly into the phone "Mom!" several times before hastily leaving the hall. Saburov commented from the stage, saying, "I hope you died." It later turned out that she had learned of her father's death. Saburov contacted her and apologized, explaining that he did not know the context.

In 2021, Saburov made derogatory remarks about media manager Ksenia Sobchak at a concert in Balashikha, calling her a "horse" and using profanity. Public outbursts against her continued, and in July 2022, she responded to one of his jokes on social media: "You are so brave and 'sharp,' but when it comes to the main thing, you say 'I have a mortgage,'" hinting at his silence on the war in Ukraine.

After that, Saburov found himself under pressure from both sides.

"Is it menstruation?" Jokes about the anti-war performance

After the start of the war in Ukraine, many comedians who took an anti-war stance left Russia. Dmitry Romanov, who launched Saburov's career in Moscow, spoke out against the invasion and was stripped of his Russian citizenship and banned from entering the country in 2025. The FSB claimed that his statements allegedly undermine the foundations of the constitutional order and pose a threat to national security. Romanov reacted with irony: "If a comedian who doesn't even perform in the country can pose a threat to national security, something is wrong with national security." Meanwhile, Saburov remained silent and continued his tours.

In April 2022, at a concert in Los Angeles, an audience member asked Saburov from the crowd: "Children are dying in Ukraine. Why are you silent?" The comedian replied that he sincerely sympathizes but will not pass judgment: "Yes, I am a scumbag. I have a lot of flaws. But I am not an idiot. When I see these frames, I don't think that's how it should be. What are you making of me?"

Another audience member demanded explanations: "If you're scared, just say so." Saburov admitted: "Yes, bro. I have a family. I have my fears too. <…> No one owes you anything." Hearing this, the audience member, who was filming the dialogue, called the comedian a "servant of fear" and left the hall.

On April 12 in Seattle, someone yelled at him that "it will be like in LA here" because "the regime of the Kremlin relies on cowards like you." And in San Francisco, the performance was interrupted by Ukrainian artist Yulia Kosivchuk. She came on stage in a white dress with red stains symbolizing blood and shouted: "Silence is crime." While security was escorting the girl away, Saburov retorted: "Excuse me, is it menstruation? What's happening?" — which only exacerbated the situation.

After that, he was criticized not only by the audience but also by colleagues. "I always scolded myself for thinking too long about a joke even on stage. But after the incident with Nurlan, I am even glad. At least I think," wrote comedian Denis Chuzhoy.

On social media, Saburov was called a "coward" and a "servant," accused of fearing the loss of the Russian market. "The place of the departed Ivan Urgant on Channel One is still warm, and it needs to be earned, which Nurlan is successfully doing," commented blogger Ilya Varlamov.

Ukrainian artist Alexey Potapenko (Potap) accused Saburov and other silent artists of betraying human values and emphasized that none of them told the truth about the war in Ukraine. Potap claimed that they would be held accountable for their silence at every concert and every shoot, adding: "To be a human being — you need to have strength! Balls! And you don't have that. But Makarevich does!"

Saburov's next concert in Chicago was canceled by the organizers. In Israel, four performances were canceled — as the organizers explained, "a conflict is brewing within the Israeli Russian-speaking community due to the comedian's arrival." Even in Kazakhstan, the concert program was postponed indefinitely.

At the same time, information emerged that at concerts in the USA, audience members were selected based on their political views. In Miami, about 150 people were not allowed into the hall. According to eyewitnesses, security checked social media on phones, and those who spoke out against the war were not allowed in. Those who refused to show their smartphones were also turned away.

Saburov took a break and returned home, but in 2024, he published a solo concert on YouTube titled "Principles 2024." "They decided to cancel Russians, starting with me. For some reason, people came to my concert with Ukrainian flags, then Kazakhs started coming. Then I saw flags of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia in the hall. Has some kind of Olympics started?" — Saburov tried to joke.

Cancellation in Russia

In May 2025, against the backdrop of increased attention to Saburov's figure, he was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport for violating migration regulations: he spent 114 days in Russia instead of the permitted 90. The comedian was fined 5,500 rubles and ordered to leave the country within two weeks.

By the end of 2025, Saburov's concerts in Russia began to be canceled one after another. His performances were canceled in Obninsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Yekaterinburg, and Ryazan. Organizers cited reasons such as "roof repairs," "a power supply system failure," or "force majeure." However, as "Novaya Gazeta" reported, they "remembered everything at once" about Saburov: from jokes about Russians who moved to Kazakhstan after mobilization to routines in the show "What Happens Next?" that provoked a sharp reaction from Orthodox activists of the "Forty Forty" movement. They demanded apologies for jokes about Jesus and investigations by the Investigative Committee. Indirectly, the "cancellation of Saburov" was confirmed by producer Pavel Rudchenko, noting that even in the regions, organizers are now reluctant to invite Saburov, despite his popularity.

They also recalled the 2017 episode when Saburov, along with comedian Azamat Musagaliev, appeared in a promotional video for TNT. In it, Saburov addresses his colleague in Kazakh, to which Musagaliev responds by imitating incomprehensible sounds: "Kurly-murly." When Saburov asks what that means, Musagaliev laughs and replies: "Did it mean something to you? I thought we were just joking." This fragment caused outrage among some Kazakh viewers.