American YouTuber Arrested After Trying to Give Isolated Tribe Diet Coke

24-year-old YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov has a small YouTube channel. At the moment, it only has six videos. Each video is part of a series where Polyakov, whose channel name is Neo-Orientalist, visits Afghanistan.

For a new video, he tried to make contact with one of the world’s most isolated tribes, an illegal and hostile act that got him arrested and now faces prison time.

Polyakov tried to visit an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean called North Sentinel Island. It’s home to the Sentinelese, a tribe that has been cut off from the rest of society for thousands of years. The tribe does not take kindly to outsiders.

You might remember the story about the arrogant Christian missionary who thought he’d pay the tribe a little visit, bearing gifts of fish and a football. The tribe shot him with arrows, and then buried his body on the beach.

They do not fuck around, yet they have to deal with obnoxious guys whose day job is to fuck around and whose side hustle is to find out.

YouTuber Arrested After Trying To Contact Isolated Tribe    

So much as stepping foot on the island is considered an illegal act by the Indian government. Polyakov, like the guy shot with arrows before him, came bearing gifts: a can of Diet Coke, a coconut, and a GoPro with which to record his experience.

He navigated his inflatable boat using GPS, landed on the beach, left his offering, took some sand samples, and recorded a video—all while trying to whistle and attract attention from the locals.

This isn’t Polyakov’s first brush with danger or the law. Back in 2023, he attempted a similar stunt, using an inflatable kayak to reach the island, and has previously filmed interactions with another tribe, the Jarawa.

India has strict laws forbidding any interaction with the Sentinelese. These are people who have had little to no contact with the outside world. They have no immunity to any of our illnesses. A cold or flu could wipe them out.

For his efforts, Polyakov now faces jail time. He’s scheduled to appear in court on April 17 and faces a possible sentence of five years along with a fine for the guy who potentially wanted to spread disease to an isolated tribe for the clicks and lulz.