Remulla: No special treatment for Russian vlogger
Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy —Richard A. Reyes
MANILA, Philippines — Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who drew public outrage over his social media posts in which he harassed Filipinos, will remain in the country to face charges of unjust vexation, alarm, and scandal, as well as theft and attempted theft filed against him.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a press briefing on Monday that Zdorovetskiy, who was presented to the media, will not be deported until a final verdict is handed down by a local court.
“We’re not deporting him. He will face the charges against him under Philippine laws,” Remulla said, as he vowed that “no special treatment” will be given to the vlogger.
READ: Russian vlogger makes ‘L’ sign, seizes cop’s hat during presser
“We’re done with foreigners who are disrespectful to Filipinos. This is an example that we’re serious in our own country and we won’t let them belittle us,” he added.
Without remorse
Zdorovetskiy, who has over 10 million YouTube subscribers, appeared to show no remorse for his actions.
At one point, he silently applauded himself while his videos harassing people were shown to the media and flashed the “L” sign for loser while Remulla was discussing the charges against him.
Zdorovetskiy, who was tagged by Remulla as a “flight risk” and an “undesirable alien,” was arrested last week in an operation led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Bureau of Immigration (BI).
The BI earlier said that after his arrest that he was awaiting deportation proceedings.
In his video titled “Disturbing the peace in the Philippines,” which was filmed around Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, he pranked several passersby, including a woman whom he threatened to rob. He also insulted her for wearing a “COVID mask” and called her a “liberal f*ck.” He likewise harassed a security guard, stole a heavy-duty electric fan and a patrol motorcycle, which he crashed.
The Russian is also facing a case for allegedly harassing a Filipino surfing instructor in Boracay with derogatory remarks and encouraging his followers to leave fake negative reviews on a local business page.
