A self-proclaimed “danger tourist” is facing up to five years in prison after putting an uncontacted tribe in mortal danger.
The 24-year-old illegally set foot on North Sentinel Island, a highly restricted area in India’s Andaman Islands, where the Sentinelese, a highly vulnerable tribe without the antibodies needed to handle outside viruses, live.
Identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, the man was arrested last Monday (March 31) after authorities discovered his attempt to interact with the tribe. Equipped with a GoPro camera, he recorded the process, offering the natives a coconut and a can of Diet Coke.
“He needs more than five years; he knew he shouldn’t have been there,” one user said.
YouTuber is facing up to five years in prison after handing a can of Diet Coke to an isolationist tribe in India
Polyakov was allegedly recording content for his YouTube channel under the username Neo-Orientalist, on which he regularly visits dangerous and unconventional locales.
For instance, one of his video series sees him interact with Taliban members in Afghanistan, handling weapons such as grenade launchers and machine guns.
Despite the inherent risks of his productions, his channel has failed to gain traction, remaining relatively small with only 776 subscribers.
According to Indian authorities, Polyakov’s journey into the Andaman Islands was meticulously planned. He studied the tides and sea conditions and set sail aboard an inflatable boat around 1 am local time on March 29.
Traveling for 25 miles, he arrived at North Sentinel by 10 am. Then, he blew a whistle for an hour in an attempt to draw the tribe’s attention before stepping onto their land, where the dangerous exchange occurred.
The Sentinelese are a secluded community that lacks the necessary antibodies to resist outside viruses and illnesses
Polyakov brands himself as a fearless traveler seeking “the last mysteries” of the world, but critics argue he is nothing more than an “attention-seeking menace.”
While he has recorded himself in dangerous locations previously, visiting abandoned US military bases and interacting with armed natives, his visit to North Sentinel Island has drawn far more serious consequences than his previous escapades.
The Sentinelese, a tribe consisting of an estimated 150 members, have lived in isolation for thousands of years and, as a result, lack immunity to most common diseases.
Outside contact—especially from a foreigner like Polyakov—could introduce deadly pathogens, potentially creating a chain reaction that could wipe the entire tribe out of existence.
For this reason, India’s laws punish unauthorized entry to North Sentinel with three to five years in prison. After being arrested, Polyakov was presented before the local court and is currently on a three-day remand for further questioning.
Authorities are also trying to determine whether any locals were paid or assisted him in reaching the island, as such aid is also punishable under Indian law.
“This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, but they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,” said Caroline Pearce, director of the indigenous rights group Survival International.
“His actions were reckless and idiotic.”
In 2018, a similarly-aged missionary visited the island in an attempt to bring Christianity to the Sentinelese. He lost his life in the process
Polyakov is not the first outsider to attempt contact with the Sentinelese. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau met a much grislier fate.
Chau, who was just two years older than Polyakov at 26, was ki**ed by the tribe after attempting to introduce them to Christianity.
According to reports, he got the idea of contacting the tribe after participating in a missionary boot camp by the Kansas City-based evangelical organization All Nations.
The training consisted of navigating a mock native village populated by missionary staff members who pretended to be hostile natives.
Believing North Sentinel Island to be “Satan’s last stronghold on Earth,” Chau paid two fishermen to get him to the island’s shore, arriving on November 15 of that year.
Upon making contact, Chau attempted to communicate with the natives and offer them gifts, but he was met with ridicule and a steel-pointed arrow, which pierced his Bible.
The missionary met his end two days later, with the fishermen reportedly seeing the tribe dragging his body.
“Stupid.” Netizens took to social media to admonish the YouTuber for his reckless actions
