Controversial vlogger Vitaly transferred to BJMP
Controversial Russian-American YouTuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who was arrested in Pasay City for harassing Filipinos for content, has been moved to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
The Bureau of Immigration confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, June 16, saying that he was transferred to the BJMP last week on June 11.
According to BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, Vitaly will stay in the custody of the BJMP "until the resolution of his court cases, before he will be returned to the BI for deportation."
The agency said Vitaly previously submitted a request for temporary liberty under bail, noting that he doesn't intend to evade deportation and would only stay within the National Capital Region.
The vlogger also said in the document that he would "immediately submit himself to BI custody should a deportation order be issued against him."
Viado, however, stressed that the BI is not keen on granting his request.
“This is not just a matter of administrative procedure—it is about protecting the integrity of our immigration laws,” he said. “Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and violate our laws must face the consequences. The Bureau is resolute: We will not allow our deportation process to be undermined by publicity tactics or legal maneuvering. No special treatment will be given.”
On April 2, Vitaly was caught by Filipino authorities in front of a Pasay hotel based on a BI mission order.
This was after he was seen messing around with Filipinos in Bonifacio Global City by riding a patrol motorcycle, stealing a security guard’s cap multiple times, and playing petty pranks with passersby in his Kick video titled "Vitaly disturbing the peace in the Philippines" with a devil emoji. He also forcibly filmed a security guard who called him out for it. Vitaly then mocked the latter by singing some lines from Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi.
Among other stunts he pulled was stealing a heavy-duty electric fan from a restaurant and bringing it inside a hotel. Zdorovetskiy also drove a tricycle but eventually sideswiped a passenger and slightly crashed into a parked jeepney.
On April 7, Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Jonvic Remulla vowed to make Vitaly pay for his actions, not getting any special treatment.
In June, Remulla said Vitaly will not be deported to his homeland Russia as he stays in the Philippines to serve his sentence. He noted that Russia refused to accept the vlogger back. Even the United States, where the 33-year-old vlogger is a green card holder, did the same.
Vitaly has been arrested multiple times for his publicity stunts. In 2016, he was nabbed for illegally climbing the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. In 2020, he was jailed for climbing one of the Pyramids of Giza, and in April of the same year, he was charged with aggravated battery for assaulting a woman who was jogging in Miami.
Vitaly has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube.
