Arrested Russian vlogger now in BI custody for deportation

A Russian vlogger has been placed in the custody of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after his arrest by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for harassing Filipinos and making viral videos of his offensive antics in social media.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said on Thursday, April 3, the bureau took custody of the Russian national identified as  Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, 33, on Wednesday, April 2, after being turned over by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

"The Philippines welcomes visitors from all over the world, but those who abuse our hospitality and violate our laws will be held accountable," Viado warned. 

"Harassment and disruptive behavior have no place in our society, and we will take swift action against offenders,” he added.

Zdorovetskiy, who has over 10 million YouTube subscribers, drew the ire of netizens for his videos where he shows harassing Filipinos including those at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.

 Among those he harassed was a BGC security guard who went to the Southern Police District (SPD) to file a complaint that led to the foreigner's arrest.

"Our laws exist to protect the welfare of Filipinos," Viado stressed. 

 "Let this serve as a reminder that while we welcome visitors, those who fail to respect our people and our laws will face the consequences,” he declared.

Zdorovetskiy is now detained at the BI facility in Taguig City pending his deportation.