Navai Expelled from Kazakhstan - UPDATED

The criminal case against rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov), who was detained in Kazakhstan in connection with a drug case, has been terminated, and the artist has been expelled from the country.

This was reported by the Russian Telegram channel SHOT, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan.

"The criminal case against the Russian rap artist was terminated on non-exonerating grounds, taking into account that it was his first offense and noting his active repentance, in accordance with the requirements of criminal procedure law. The procedural decision taken was approved by the supervisory authority," the department informed the media outlet.

It should be noted that the termination of a case on non-exonerating grounds does not mean acquittal. Such a decision is made under circumstances provided by law and is not equivalent to declaring the accused innocent.

Navai was previously detained at the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Following his detention, the court initially ordered him held in custody, but today the rapper was released on bail.

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Rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov), detained in Kazakhstan in a drug case, has been released on bail — the court changed his preventive measure.

This was reported by the Russian Telegram channel SHOT.

As a reminder, on October 14, 2026, Bakirov was detained at a border checkpoint while entering Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan. A narcotic substance was found in the car in which the artist was traveling.

On October 15, the court ruled to place the rapper in custody for two months. The investigation is being conducted on suspicion of smuggling and illegal possession of narcotic drugs.

It was previously reported that the defense was seeking to change the preventive measure and was counting on the artist's release on bail in the amount of 2.1 million tenge (about 7,800 manats).

Details of the court's decision and the conditions of release are not specified at this time.