Vitaly’s Shenanigans in the Philippines Landed Him in Jail and Now Deportation

The last you probably heard about prankster Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who most people just know as Vitaly, was that he was arrested in the Philippines on April 3, 2025, on charges of theft and harassment. For context, Vitaly had disappeared from the internet for a while before resurfacing in the Philippines in 2025.

While many of his stunts often pushed the limits, it seems the ones he carried out there actually crossed the line, landing him in jail for several months. Fast forward to January 2026, and Vitaly is now scheduled for deportation from the Philippines. Here’s what’s going on with him in case you haven’t been able to keep up.

As we mentioned, Vitaly was arrested at the beginning of April 2025 in the Philippines after pulling pranks that crossed over into criminal territory. When someone commits a crime, even in another country, they have to face the consequences of their actions, no matter how popular they might be on the internet.

Some of the stunts Vitaly carried out that went too far and subsequently landed him behind bars reportedly included grabbing a security guard and trying to kiss him, attempting to grab a guard’s firearm, and harassing local citizens, according to Manila Standard.

He also filmed these stunts and shared them on social media. Not only was his behavior inappropriate, but it was also seen as an insult to the country and its citizens. After his arrest in April 2025, he was presumably found guilty of “harassment-related offenses,” per Manila Standard, and was sentenced to nine months behind bars, according to Complex.

During a Jan. 15, 2026, press conference, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla commented on Vitaly’s arrest and release, with a scruffy-looking Vitaly standing behind him in handcuffs.

Remulla acknowledged, “We have no ill feelings against Vitaly. He has served his time, shown remorse,” but also added that his arrest and sentencing should serve as “a reminder to all our visitors here in the Philippines that while we welcome tourists and treat them with respect, we also expect them to follow our laws, just as we do when we travel abroad.”

While Vitaly has successfully served his sentence in the Philippines, the country has decided to deport him back to Russia. Although he holds a U.S. green card, he is a Russian citizen, so the Philippines is simply following its standard immigration procedures, according to Manila Standard.

During the Jan. 15 press conference, Remulla noted that once Vitaly arrives in Russia, he will be a “free man.” He is expected to return to Moscow within the week, possibly by Jan. 22, 2026.

It’s not clear what Vitaly will do in the coming months, but fans are hoping he’s learned his lesson (for real this time) and might take a different approach to vlogging.

With over 700,000 followers on Instagram, he still has a big audience and influence. Since he’s also been known to give back (or at least that what some of his other content suggests), maybe that’s the angle he should stick with — helping and entertaining rather than harassing, because otherwise, he could find himself in trouble again.