Nurlan Saburov is a Kazakh and Russian comedian who gained wide prominence through his stand-up performances. Born on 22 December 1991 in Stepnogorsk, Akmola Region, Kazakhstan.
In 2013, he made his debut in the Open Mic segment of the Stand Up show on TNT. Upon entering television, he became known for his audacious and caustic demeanor. Since April 2019, he has served as the host of the popular show ChBD ("What Happened Next?").
Saburov's stance on the war in Ukraine
The stand-up comedian avoided commenting directly on Russia's attack on Ukraine, choosing to adopt a posture of deliberate silence.
On 9 April 2022, during a concert in Los Angeles, a member of the audience asked Nurlan Saburov from the floor: "Children are dying in Ukraine, why are you keeping quiet? If you're chickening out, just admit it!". Saburov replied: "Yes, bro, I have a family, you have to understand that I have my own fears too".
On 13 April 2022, in San Francisco, Saburov's performance was interrupted by Ukrainian artist Yulia Kosivchuk. She stepped onto the stage in a long white dress stained with red paint symbolizing blood and shouted: "Silence is a crime!". While security escorted the woman off the stage, the comedian "joked": "Excuse me, is that menstruation? What's going on?". The audience found the "joke" entertaining, evidenced by laughter and applause throughout the hall...
Through the concerted efforts of the Ukrainian diaspora and the Ukrainian Consul General, Saburov's scheduled 16 April concert in Chicago was canceled.
Inclusion in the "Myrotvorets" database
In April 2022, he was added to the "Myrotvorets" database for complicity in the crimes of the Russian authorities against Ukraine and its citizens, as well as open public mockery of the victims of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Jokes about Russians and concert cancellations in Russia
In autumn 2022, Saburov sparked outrage among the Russian public over jokes made during a concert in Kazakhstan. The comedian ridiculed Russians who fled the country after the mobilization decree, asking from the stage: "Well, Russians, you arrived? What, bank cards don't work?".
Following this, in November 2022, Saburov's performances were massively canceled in Nizhnevartovsk, Yekaterinburg, and other Russian cities. Despite official claims of "technical reasons", media outlets linked the cancellations to accusations of Russophobia and dissatisfaction from local authorities.
50-year entry ban to Russia for Nurlan Saburov (2026)
In February 2026, it was revealed that Nurlan Saburov was barred from entering Russia for 50 years. The decision was delivered by Russian border guards at Vnukovo Airport, where the comedian landed on an overnight flight from Dubai. He was served with an official notice stating that he would be unable to enter the Russian Federation until 2076. According to media reports and law enforcement sources, the decision was made "in the interests of national security".
Attempts to "bribe" the FSB and aiding the Russian military
In February 2026, investigative outlet "Important Stories" (iStories), citing its own sources, reported details of the comedian's conflict with the Russian security services. According to journalists, Saburov was banned from entering Russia for 50 years because of his refusal to engage in direct collaboration with the FSB and sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense for deployment to the front line.
According to the source, in an effort to prove his "pro-Russian" loyalty and evade legal trouble, Saburov supplied ten "Enduro" motorcycles to the Russian military and transferred 2 million rubles to the "All for Victory" fund. However, these actions failed to secure him a Russian permanent residence permit.
A video circulated widely on social media showing Nurlan Saburov handing over 10 pitbikes to fighters of the "Legion Wagner Istra" unit commanded by a Hero of Russia known by the callsign "Ratibor". In the footage, the comedian personally interacts with the soldiers and wishes them to "return healthy and victorious".
Despite speculation by some online users that the video might have been AI-generated, the handover of the vehicles was confirmed by an official government representative. On 7 July 2025, the head of the Istra municipal district, Tatyana Vitusheva, posted this video on her Telegram channel with the caption:
Enduro bikes from movie actor and 'Stand Up' on TNT resident Nurlan Saburov! 10 powerful pitbikes are heading to the fighters of 'Legion Wagner Istra' under the command of Hero of Russia 'Ratibor'. Commander, receive the equipment!
On 9 February 2026, Vitusheva deleted this post (yet the internet remembers everything).
Nurlan Saburov effectively became an accomplice in Russian aggression by providing combat vehicles to occupying forces. Back in Kazakhstan, where the comedian was deported following his expulsion from Russia, he faces up to 9 years of imprisonment under criminal statutes for mercenarism and involvement in a foreign armed conflict.
What celebrities say about Saburov's stance
Nurlansaburov, you are such a f***ing asshole!!!! The joke about menstruation in your sh**ty speech permanently killed the human in you. Not that there was ever a real man there«... »To everyone barking about my opinion of Saburov: this person isn't even worth thinking about. Being on stage while entire cities are wiped off the face of the earth... He makes period jokes at the expense of a brave girl symbolizing the hell that thousands of Ukrainian women had to endure. Yet he himself in his garbage comedy is worse than all the periods in the world! People who attend those concerts and laugh are supporting this entire slaughter... To the end of your days, b*tches, you will be covered in this blood
ChBD comes out on top. They sold out for some three to five episodes on VKontakte. They'll quietly sit in silence over there, then smoothly emerge, launch their own app, and leave for Dubai, Kazakhstan, or wherever their residence permits take them. And they'll live peacefully with their millions. They didn't just shove their tongue up their ass — they simply had their faces stuffed with cash and headed to VKontakte. I don't know their exact political stance, but I'm certain that seven out of eight are definitely against it, and who the one is, you can decide for yourselves.
Comedian Nurlan Saburov pretended 'not to hear' questions from the audience regarding his attitude to the 'special operation' for a long time, and then this happened. It's easy to look tough when the five of you are bullying Ivleeva
Nurlan, I believe that one of the main criteria of successful comedy for a comedian is intellect, knowledge base, and the speed at which that knowledge and intellect are applied. When at one of the concerts a woman in a blood-stained dress ran onto the stage, the only thing Nurlan's meager brain could squeeze out was a joke about menstruation. Nurlan, you are no stand-up comedian; you are just ordinary foul-mouthed Kazakh riffraff in a suit that completely fails to conceal the poverty of your intellect. At a time when Ukraine is fighting a war against Russia and Russian invaders are raping Ukrainian women and children... Children, Nurlan! So, Nurlan Saburov, I wish upon your wife and children non-stop bleeding.
He went way too far when he joked about menstruation. It was completely inappropriate. But he also clearly stated his stance at one of the initial concerts when he said [in response to audience requests to comment on the situation in Ukraine] that he has a family for whom he fears. And afterwards, he was subjected to intense hounding — you almost felt sorry for him.
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