Why was Vitaly arrested in the Philippines? YouTuber remains detained

YouTuber and streamer Vitaly was arrested in the Philippines in April 2025 and has been detained in jail ever since after a series of controversial broadcasts.

During various IRL streams back in April, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy appeared to harass locals, steal, attempt to kiss a security guard, and much more.

vitaly arrested in Philippines

Thisled to his arrest on July 21, 2025, by Filipino authorities who reportedly received the orders straight from the Bureau of Immigration, due to the harassment, and he has remained in custody ever since.

Just weeks later, Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Donnie Puno revealed thatVitaly had confessed to the alleged crimes.

Vitaly at the gym

Vitaly facing months in jail

Soon after his arrest, reports surfaced that Vitaly was going to be“trapped in jail hell”for three years in a cell with no air conditioning.

However, YouTuber Legal Mindset acquired new information in June that revealedVitaly’s attorney had filed for the option to bail the streamer out of jail. He also shared that instead of the reported three years in jail, he was more likely to only facearound 18 months behind bars at most.

YouTuber Pete Z talking to camera in YouTube video

New jail pictures reveal massive body transformation

Vitaly’s trial is still ongoing, and the content creator is still in jail as of writing. On July 16, 2025, new pictures of the YouTuber made their way to social media, and many were shocked at how different he looks.

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vitaly arrest press conference

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He’s visibly much smaller than he was before, and the weight and muscle loss have led to a change in the shape of his face.

Vitaly before vs. after his detainment in the Philippinespic.twitter.com/YnG6EsaaFr

Vitaly has yet to have the chance to speak out about his alleged crimes. However, the Philippines’ President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr hasshared his thoughts about the YouTuber’s actions.

“One of the things we saw this Sunday was the infuriating behavior of a foreign vlogger toward our fellow citizens. Whether he was joking or not, what Filipino wouldn’t feel their blood boil watching that?” he said.

We’ll be sure to update this article as more information surrounding Vitaly’s arrest is revealed.