He still wants to capitalize on it: Mishka Polyakov, the much-discussed American YouTuber who was arrested for offering a can of coke to the most isolated tribe in the world against all the rules, seems to be putting the footage online after all.
Source: AD.nl
A year after his stunt that became world news, it is now on his YouTube channel ‘The last island part 1’ online. It is the first part about the YouTuber’s highly controversial attempts to reach the island of North Sentinel, near India. It has been strictly forbidden to enter this island since 1996 to protect the primitive tribe of an estimated several hundred people there. The footage of Polyakov actually arriving on the island is missing in the first part.
The YouTuber from Arizona informs us by email that these images will be shown in part 2. “That will happen roughly in two weeks,” the adventurer reports in his short answers to questions from our colleagues at ‘AD.nl’.
Can of coke
Polyakov became world news at the end of March 2025 when it emerged that he had been on the island to give the primitive tribe that lives there in total isolation a can Diet Coke to offer. He was arrested and held in an Indian cell for weeks. Contact with the residents of North Sentinel Island is prohibited, partly because they can become infected with diseases. The Sentinelese have lived completely isolated from the outside world for centuries. They would like to keep it that way.
The primitive tribe has been left alone for decades. Modern developments pass them by and they can be very aggressive towards visitors. In the past, this even cost the lives of two fishermen and a missionary. From 1996 onwards, no one is allowed on the island, not even the police.
Fine and short prison sentence
Yet Polyakov tried it a year ago, which led to a lot of commotion. He threatened to go to jail for years, but confirmed 2.5 months ago that it ultimately amounted to a fine and a short prison sentence (his pre-trial detention). He also had to hand in the recordings he made from his phone and GoPro camera.
Polyakov declined to comment on whether he had any recordings. And still not: “I didn’t get any video back. But I can’t say how I got it.”
When asked whether he is not afraid of angry reactions or even sanctions from India if he does broadcast images of his visit to North Sentinel Island, he answers laconically: “I have reason to believe that they don’t care that much in India. In fact, I have a lot of fans in India.”
The first part of ‘The last island’ in any case suggests that he still has images of his controversial visit, which should follow in part 2. Part 1 mainly consists of a brief history lesson about other people going to North Sentinel Island and Polyakov’s previous failed attempts to reach the island. Like when he wanted to sail the last bit in an inflatable kayak, until sharks showed up. At the end of the video he sails towards the island.
