Kazakh comedian Nurlan Saburov has become the third stand-up performer to be officially barred from entering Russia, this time with a 50-year entry ban.
The decision, reportedly issued on national security grounds, follows years of mounting controversy surrounding the artist, who has struggled to reconcile his dual identity as a Kazakhstani citizen and a celebrity shaped by Russian showbusiness.
From Stepnogorsk to Moscow Spotlight
Born in 1991 in Stepnogorsk (Akmola region, Kazakhstan), Saburov’s career took off through KVN, the long-running Soviet-era improv competition, after enrolling at Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg. In 2014, he relocated to Moscow with his family to pursue a career in the booming Russian stand-up scene, eventually gaining national fame through television appearances.
However, that rise has since been marred by a series of political and legal controversies.
Neutrality in the Spotlight and Its Consequences
Saburov’s troubles began in April 2022, when he was confronted during a U.S. tour by a protester covered in red paint, a symbolic act referencing the war in Ukraine. His offhand joke referencing menstruation drew global backlash, leading to an American tour cancellation and public outrage. Attempts to declare a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine only deepened public criticism.
By May 2025, he faced his first major setback at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where he was fined for immigration violations but allowed to leave without a ban.
Then, on February 6, 2026, upon arrival at Vnukovo airport from Dubai, Saburov was detained and issued an official notice of a 50-year ban from entering Russia. The document cited violations of tax and migration law, with authorities alleging he attempted to legalize his earnings through intermediaries while refusing to apply for Russian citizenship.
“In 2024 alone, Nurlan Saburov declared more than 50 million rubles [$645,000] in income while ignoring tax and migration rules,” Russian law enforcement sources told RIA Novosti.
He was initially scheduled for deportation to Dubai but instead chose to fly to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Uneasy Return to Kazakhstan
Speculation quickly emerged about whether Saburov would settle permanently in Almaty, where he co-hosts a successful YouTube talk show alongside three Russian hosts. The program, previously hosted on YouTube, now runs on VK, Russia’s state-backed video platform, and frequently features Russian celebrities. Relocating the production to Kazakhstan could, some argued, benefit the country’s cultural profile and tourism appeal.
However, Saburov was met with public hostility. A video from 2025 resurfaced online showing him donating 10 enduro motorcycles to fighters from the Wagner Group’s Istra unit, a controversial paramilitary force implicated in operations in Ukraine.
In response, Almaty-based activist Marat Turymbetov submitted a formal complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan, calling for an investigation into possible violations of Article 170 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits financing illegal armed groups.
“I believe the authorities will investigate and bring this individual to justice,” Turymbetov stated in a social media post, citing possible mercenary activity.
Other Kazakhstani citizens, particularly those who support Ukraine, joined Turymbetov’s call for legal action.
Saburov Responds
Despite the backlash, Saburov has not distanced himself from Russia. In a statement on Instagram, he thanked Russian audiences and signaled plans to contest the ban:
“Time will put everything in its place. My career began 15 years ago in Yekaterinburg and later in Moscow. I’ve performed in many Russian cities and was always met with warmth. I’m grateful to the country that allowed me to grow as an artist and reach a multinational audience,” Saburov wrote, adding that his lawyers would “deal with all relevant authorities”.
As legal and public scrutiny continues in both Russia and Kazakhstan, Saburov now finds himself without a stage, caught between two countries no longer willing to claim him as their own.
