The investigation was initiated after a video surfaced in which Saburov allegedly hands over 10 motorcycles to the group "Legion Wagner Istra," which is participating in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
This footage became public after Saburov was expelled from Russia. There were doubts about its authenticity; however, journalists from Factchek.kz confirmed that the video is indeed real. It was later revealed that Kazakh activist Marat Turymbetov had sent a request to the General Prosecutor's Office asking to verify this video material.
Lawyer Bauyrzhan Ongarov stated that Nurlan Saburov could face criminal liability for supporting the "Wagnerites." According to him, complicity in financing and providing for the mercenaries of the PMC "Wagner" could result in a sentence of 7 to 12 years under part 1 of article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — Mercenarism. "Wagner" is considered a private military company, and Saburov already has all the evidence of his guilt," the lawyer noted on his Facebook (which is banned in Russia and owned by Meta, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation). Russian media also add that "Legion Wagner Istra" has become a subdivision of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, created after the disbandment of the PMC "Wagner."
Nurlan Saburov, originally from Stepnogorsk, gained fame as a resident of the Stand Up project on the Russian TV channel TNT. He successfully toured cities in Russia and Kazakhstan, held solo stand-up concerts, and appeared in various television shows. As the host of the popular comedy project "What Happened Next?", he also participated in films.
In 2020, Saburov made it to the Forbes Russia list of the 30 most promising Russians under 30, despite lacking Russian citizenship. At that time, his fee for performances was about $10,000.
In early February of this year, while going through border control at the airport, Saburov was not allowed entry into Russia, being informed that he was banned from entering the country for 50 years. According to state agencies, this decision was made on January 30 and concerned "national security and the protection of traditional values," as well as mentioning violations of migration and tax legislation. Currently, the comedian is in Almaty, according to media reports.
