MANILA, Philippines — Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who was arrested last April for a string of harassment incidents, will serve his sentence in the Philippines as deportation is no longer a viable option, according to Interior Secretary Benhur “Jonvic” Remulla.
In a statement released on Sunday, June 1, Remulla said that both the Russian Federation and the United States have declined to accept Zdorovetskiy, who is a green card holder.
“Ang problema kasi namin, ang Russia, hindi siya tinatanggap, ang US naman, green card holder siya, hindi rin siya tinatanggap, so hindi namin alam kung saan siya papauwiin eh,” Remulla said.
(Our problem is, Russia won’t accept him and the US won’t accept him either because he’s a green card holder. So we don’t know where to send him home.)
The vlogger, who rose to online fame for controversial and often provocative content, reportedly sent a written appeal to Remulla asking that the charges be dropped due to mental health concerns.
Despite the appeal, Remulla said Zdorovetskiy will face legal proceedings and serve his sentence if convicted. The Russian national is facing trial next week on three counts of unjust vexation, a charge that carries a potential jail term of three months to one year.
“We will service his sentence, sinigurado ko po ‘yun,” he added.
(We will service his sentence, I made sure of that.)
Arrest and Charges
Zdorovetskiy was arrested on April 3 in a Pasay City hotel after the Bureau of Immigration issued a mission order declaring him an “undesirable alien.” His arrest came after several public incidents, including harassing a security guard and an elderly woman in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Videos from an April 7 press briefing showed him involved in these confrontations, as well as stealing and later abandoning a restaurant electric fan and a tricycle. He was also accused of posting fake online reviews about local businesses and of recklessly jumping onto a moving jeepney.
Despite the controversy, he had remained active on social media prior to his arrest, which has since prompted calls for stricter regulations on foreign vloggers in the country.
