YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov is known for such daredevil adventures as per his biography
The 24-year-old Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested for breaking into the forbidden area and leaving a coconut and a can of Diet Coke as a “offering” to the Sentinelese.
On North Sentinel Island, which is a part of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an American YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov who is well-known for his careless travels was detained after trying to get in touch with one of the most remote tribes in the world.
Who is YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov who snuck into North Sentinel Island, biography, age, dad, ethnicity and nationality
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, a 24-year-old American of Ukrainian descent, arrived in Port Blair on March 26, according to the police. The father of Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov is Ukrainian.
Polyakov set off for North Sentinel Island at 1 a.m. on March 29, leaving a beach on South Sentinel Island some 19 miles from the regional capital.
Having been labelled “idiotic” by specialists, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov departed South Sentinel Island early on March 29 in a small rubber dinghy, traveling nine hours. When he arrived at North Sentinel’s northeastern shore, he peered over the beach with binoculars, hoping to see some of the elusive tribe.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov waded to shore, set the presents on the sand, and waited for a reply when no one showed up. Later, he tried to entice the islanders out of the thick woodlands by blowing a whistle from his boat for an hour. After his attempts failed, he went back to South Sentinel, where he was discovered by local fishermen, who then notified the authorities.
North Sentinel Island has been a protected tribal reserve since 1956, and travel within three nautical miles of the island is prohibited by Indian law. For thousands of years, the Sentinelese, who are thought to number between 100 and 300, have lived in seclusion and have vehemently opposed outside contact. Experts caution that any exposure to outsiders could be fatal due to their lack of immunity to contemporary diseases.
Polyakov risks a maximum sentence of eight years in jail if found guilty of entering a prohibited place. There has been widespread disapproval of his acts. The director of the nonprofit organization Survival International, Carolina Pearce, referred to his stunt as “deeply disturbing” and denounced his careless disregard for the Sentinelese people’s welfare as well as his personal safety.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov is a 24-year-old US national who arrived in Port Blair on March 26 and ventured to North Sentinel Island from the Khurmadera beach of the archipelago.
His father is of Ukrainian origin. He visited Port Blair in October last year as well and attempted reconnaissance for North Sentinel Island using an inflatable kayak, but was stopped by hotel staff.
He also came to the islands in January this year, and had attempted to procure a motor for his boat and during that visit, he went to Baratang Islands, and allegedly illegally filmed the Jarawa tribe.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov risked not only his own life but the lives of everyone living on North Sentinel Island when he travelled there earlier this week, leaving a diet coke and a coconut as a peace offering to the Sentinelese people.
His seized GoPro footage depicts him ‘claiming unofficial representation of the US’.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov’s other charges
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov has previously embarked on a perilous and contentious adventure. He has already visited Afghanistan to speak with Taliban members while brandishing swords and automatic weapons that were taken from the Islamist combatants. Prior to his effort to reach North Sentinel, he had also scouted the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, researching accessibility and sea conditions.