Homel blogger Mellstroy possibly detained in Cyprus at Kazakhstan's request
Belarusian streamer Andrey Burym, known by the pseudonym Mellstroy, announced that he was found by police in Cyprus at the request of Kazakhstan, and then disappeared, writes the Kazakh publication Qumash.
Andrey Burym (Mellstroy). Still from YouTube channel "VPISKA"
In his Telegram channel, Burym published a short video in which he said:
"I was found by the police at the request of Kazakhstan. I am now…"
The video soon disappeared from the channel. After this, neither the streamer himself nor his representatives commented on the situation.
Qumash readers also reported to the editorial chat-bot that Mellstroy might already be being transported to Kazakhstan. They drew attention to flight PGT1913 from Ercan Airport via Istanbul to Astana, which, according to their claims, is used for deportations from Cyprus to third countries. However, there is no official confirmation of this information.
Journalists contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, the Financial Monitoring Agency, and the General Prosecutor's Office for comment. At the time of publication, there were no responses from these agencies.
Earlier, Mellstroy himself stated that he was in Cyprus and could not leave the country due to an international search announced at the request of Kazakhstan. Speculations also appeared on social media that the streamer might have orchestrated this story himself to attract attention, but there is no confirmation of this.
Kazakhstan declared Andrey Burym on an international wanted list in November 2025. The Department of the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) for Astana reported this, and the court заочно (in absentia) sanctioned his arrest.
According to the FMA, Burym is suspected of organizing a large-scale advertising campaign to promote the online casino Mellstroy.game, targeted, among others, at users from Kazakhstan. To popularize the project, the streamer conducted giveaways and challenges. Participants were offered to record videos for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and other social networks, in which they had to feature the name Mellstroy.game, casino logos, and links to the website.
Such tasks became widespread in Kazakhstan as well. For the promised prizes, participants engaged in provocative, offensive, and sometimes dangerous actions.
One such incident occurred on October 21 in Astana. In a large shopping center, a man ran out of the restroom wearing only shorts, holding a poster with the inscription "Give me an apartment." He ran through the shopping area shouting the same phrase.
The police detained the man. He explained that he was completing a task from the Belarusian streamer, who allegedly was giving away an apartment among participants of similar challenges. The court sentenced the resident of Astana to 15 days of administrative arrest.