Russian comedian Danila Poperechny says Uzbek authorities turned off his mic whenever he spoke about Ukraine or Putin at Tashkent show

Russian standup comedian Danila Poperechny said that the organizers of a show he performed in Tashkent on Tuesday censored his set by turning off the microphone “when the joke or the topic even tangentially touched on the current agenda,” referring to the war in Ukraine and other issues that are politically sensitive in Russia.

In total, Poperechny said, at least 50 minutes of the show were “muted” at the behest of local law enforcement. “I felt like I was back home,” he wrote on Instagram.

The Uzbek outlet Gazeta.uz reported that according to attendees, Poperechny’s microphone was turned off when he spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, and other political topics. One user wrote in the comments under that article that he saw “people from law enforcement in civilian clothing” removing people from the audience after they yelled “Glory to Ukraine!” and called for an end to the war.

Poperechny apologized to audience members and offered to reimburse them for their tickets.