MANILA — Russian content creator Vitaly Zdorovetskiy described his nearly 10-month detention in the Philippines as a harrowing experience that “tried to break” him but ultimately made him stronger.
Zdorovetskiy was taken into custody in April 2025 for allegedly harassing individuals for video content and was later declared an undesirable foreign national.
He was deported to Russia earlier this month and placed on a blacklist barring him from reentering the country.
“After 290 days in a Philippine jail with rats, cockroaches, and +35°C weather, I am finally free,” the vlogger wrote on social media, accompanied by images showing his cramped cell. He also claimed he spent “91 days in complete isolation.”
“They really tried to break me but it built me,” he added, saying authorities “wanted me gone” but that he remained “all glory to GOD.”
Local officials previously accused Zdorovetskiy of harassing security guards and stealing an industrial fan from a restaurant in Taguig City.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier noted that the case should serve as a reminder to foreign visitors to follow local laws, saying: “We welcome tourists and visitors with respect, and we expect them to follow the same rules we follow when we travel.”