A RUSSIAN vlogger who threatened to purposely spread human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country was arrested in Quezon City, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
The BI identified the vlogger as 21-year-old Nikita Chekhov, who, in a viral video filmed in Bonifacio High Street in Taguig, said he “intended to spread HIV during his stay in the Philippines.” “The videos — believed to be made as ‘rage-bait’ content — sparked widespread concern and fear among residents and online users,” the BI said in a statement on Thursday.
Chekhov is from Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia, and he arrived in the country on Jan. 15 from Shanghai, China, the BI said.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado condemned the “so-called rage-bait videos,” saying “foreign nationals who come to the Philippines to spread alarm, disrespect our people, or abuse our hospitality are not welcome and will face deportation.”
