Authorities in The Philippines have announced they’ve arrested and will deport a Russian social media influencer who posted a video claiming he’d travelled to the country to spread HIV.
Operatives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) arrested the 21-year-old Russian vlogger who went viral on social media for threatening to deliberately spread HIV while in the Philippines.
They said the arrest forms part of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that foreign nationals who abuse the country’s hospitality and undermine public safety are held accountable under Philippine laws.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the foreign national as Nikita Chekhov, who was arrested inside a condominium building in Quezon City.
Chekhov arrived in the country as a tourist on January 15. Shortly after his arrival, he uploaded videos filmed in Bonifacio High Street in Taguig, where he made alarming claims that 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.
“These so-called rage-bait videos irresponsibly cause fear and panic among the public,” Commissioner Viado said. “Foreign nationals who come to the Philippines to spread alarm, disrespect our people, or abuse our hospitality are not welcome and will face deportation.”
Chekhov is a native of Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia, and arrived in the Philippines from Shanghai, China. Once in custody he was tested for HIV and authorities said he returned a negative result.
Speaking to local media Chekhov said he’d analyzed the way Filipinos view foreigners and had then come up with a methodology to gain attention.
“I analyzed it and saw that some Filipinos think of foreigners in a very stereotypical way. I was getting many comments like ‘stop spreading your viruses, foreigner,’ ‘passport bro,’ ‘lbh,’ ‘HIV alert,’ just for being me. I was just doing some dances, silent TikToks, and still getting that hate,” said Chekhov.
“And as a content creator, I analyzed and thought, how do I attract attention? That’s how I came up with the ‘spread HIV’ thing. I literally said out loud what Filipinos were saying to me. I was expecting it to become a meme,” he added.
The 21-year-old said he now had a better understanding of what the local community expected from visitors to the country. The authorities have classed him as an ‘undesirable alien’ and he is now being held in custody awaiting deportation.
