Russian vlogger Vitaly Zdorovetskiy has been released after spending more than nine months in jail for a string of incidents tied to harassment during his Kick livestreams in the Philippines. Zdorovetskiy took to Instagram to frame his detention as a personal trial. “They really tried to break me, but it built me,” he wrote, claiming he spent 91 days in isolation during his 290-day detention. He added that faith sustained him throughout the experience.
The vlogger was deported to Russia earlier this month and reportedly flew out of the country last Saturday, January 17. Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed that Zdorovetskiy remains permanently barred from reentering the country.
Despite his deportation, Zdorovetskiy has suggested plans to document his detention experience online, signaling that even confinement may become content in a digital economy that continues to reward provocation. “Thank you to everyone who had my back during these difficult times, I appreciate you…” Zdorovetskiy said the Instagram post. “Your boy is BACK!! Full documentary coming soon!”
Zdorovetskiy was arrested in April 2025 and was later declared an undesirable foreign national, a designation that led to his detention and eventual deportation proceedings.
Authorities cited multiple violations tied to his livestream content, including the harassment of security guards and the theft of an industrial fan from a restaurant in Taguig City. Other clips from his streams showed similar behavior, such as snatching a security guard’s hat while filming. The Bureau of Immigration later confirmed that these incidents contributed to his placement on the agency’s blacklist.
Zdorovetskiy’s arrest in the Philippines fits a longer pattern tied to his online career. In 2020, he faced charges in Egypt for scaling the Pyramids of Giza, followed by an arrest in Miami for aggravated battery involving a jogger later that year. In April 2025, American tech developer Eric Kanevsky publicly confronted him after Vitaly committed the pranks in Bonifacio Global City, further amplifying scrutiny of his conduct.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla addressed the case during a press conference in Quezon City on January 16, stressing that foreign visitors are expected to respect local communities and comply with Philippine laws. The reminder followed growing public frustration over livestreamers treating public spaces and workers as props for content.
