The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has admitted that the videos released by Vitaly Zdorovetskiy on his YouTube page were filmed inside their jail cell.
Dana Sandoval, spokesperson for the BI, stated that they allow detainees in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig, to use a cellphone for one hour each day. This, she suggested, could be the reason why Zdorovetskiy was able to smuggle in a device.
"The recent ones, yes, they look like two separate videos from our facility. But he's saying he has a lot more to release. So we have to check what else he claims he's going to publish," Sandoval said.
Sandoval also added that corrupt guards could be another reason, noting that they had dismissed many over the past year.
Palace spokesperson Undersecretary Claire Castro Castro commented that those involved in smuggling the mobile phone used by the vlogger inside the detention cell would be held accountable.
"Three immigration officials have already been removed and many cellphones have been confiscated. However, if there are others who we can say are falling short, we will investigate this further and those who need to be removed from their positions due to abuse will be dismissed," Castro stated.
On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Zdorovetskiy released photos and videos in which he showed himself inside the BI prison at Camp Bagong Diwa. He revealed the harsh conditions inside the jail and alleged corruption.
Zdorovetskiy was deported back to Russia by the BI in January after a 9-month imprisonment for harassing Filipinos, particularly in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and for stealing an industrial fan to feature on his YouTube channel.
