Vitaly Zdorovetskiy wanted to make a name for himself as a viral sensation, and while he managed to do that with his 'prank' videos helping amass over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, his internet notoriety has also landed him in hot water.
Continuing the trend of YouTube stars who've become infamous through their pranks, this kind of content remains popular among the young male audience.
Arrested and detained back in April 2025, it was originally through Zdorovetskiy could face a minimum of three years in a Filipino jail.
One legal expert suggested he could be banged up behind bars for a whopping 24 years as Philippines authorities vowed to make an example of him, while neither Russia nor the USA would take him back as he was denounced by both.
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It will take more than Vitaly Zdorovetskiy's impressive net worth to get him out of this scrape, and despite begging for his freedom, he's been incarcerated for three months...and counting.
These lengthy sentences have since been diluted to a potential 18 months in prison, but in a major update it looks like the divisive YouTuber could be facing even less.
TikTok account Dark Predictions claims to have visited Zdorovetskiy in prison and says he could soon walk free. This comes after none of the witnesses have reportedly showed up to file a formal complaint, and he now only faces one charge.
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In the video, Dark Predictions states: "No he got bailed. And people didn't show up to press charges against him he only has 1 charge now. He will be out soon."
Zdorovetskiy was granted bail by a Taguig court on June 18 and was briefly released from maximum-security. In a matter of hours, he was transferred to a Bureau of Immigration detention facility due to being officially dubbed an 'undesirable alien'.
Even though he's on jail, he's not allowed to leave the detention center.
Although he might soon be free, it looks like time in Filipino detention has taken its toll.
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In a new picture, Zdorovetskiy also looks unrecognizable. In the before and after photos, a much skinnier Vitaly is also seen sporting a shaggy beard and what looks like significant muscle loss.
Responding to the picture, one person said: "Lesson learned... stop going to other countries and pranking people. I have no sympathy for these nuisance YouTubers."
Another added: "If so called influencers wish to be famous, keep treating them this way so they understand that a camera, mic, and stupid pet tricks, will not make you famous for what they want to be made famous for. This is great to see."
A third concluded: "Did they expect them to feed him the same and let him do the things he did in America as a prisoner? Of course he's gonna change, you morons."
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As for what led to Zdorovetskiy being locked up, his lengthy rap sheet included threatening to rob a woman in public, stealing a firearm and a patrol motorcycle, raiding the kitchen of a McDonald's, and more. Added to this, he was accused of harassing and using vulgar language toward a Boracay surf instructor.
This isn't hit first run-in with the law, having previously been arrested for climbing Los Angeles' Hollywood Sign, streaking during the NBA Finals, breaking onto the field of the 2017 World Series, climbing Egypt's Pyramids of Giza, and aggravated battery at Miami Beach.
The harshest punishment he's received so far was a day in an Egyptian jail, meaning his current predicament is already the most serious.