The police are investigating the riots caused by a Belarusian streamer from Ukraine in Warsaw.

The Polish police are investigating an incident that occurred in central Warsaw on Saturday, November 9. On that day, 23-year-old provocateur Vladislav Oliynichenko, known on TikTok by the nickname Crawly, along with his supporters, smashed two cars. When a passerby confronted him, the blogger responded by spraying him with foam from a fire extinguisher. Such actions by Oliynichenko were enthusiastically supported by his followers, who are mainly teenagers. The Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Manifestations reported that Vladislav Oliynichenko is Belarusian, although he has lived and studied in Ukraine for a long time. As of November 10, the provocateur's TikTok page has nearly 6 million followers and 210 million likes.

It should be noted that the Warsaw police responded to the incident following the publication of videos featuring provocations on social media X (formerly Twitter). According to law enforcement, the provocateur brought the cars he smashed along with his supporters. The participants of the provocation filmed the entire event and later shared it on social media. Eventually, the vehicles were taken away by tow trucks, and the participants left the scene. The police are investigating the incident under the public order violation statute.

The civic organization Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Manifestations appealed to the prosecutor's office, as Crawly engages Polish children in his streams, encouraging them to destroy property. This is the second appeal by the Center to the prosecutor regarding the provocateur. The first complaint was filed because Oliynichenko made offensive statements about Poles and claimed it would be better for him to live in Moscow, but he is forced to stay in Poland. He announced that he would move to Turkey, but returned to Poland again.

“This man speaks Russian and acknowledges that he has Belarusian roots, although we know he attended school in Ukraine. He has long been disturbing public peace in Polish cities. He attacks store employees, destroys others' property, insults random people, and films all of this to later monetize it on TikTok. Crawly boasts that the Chinese from TikTok paid him over half a million zlotys,” the Center for Monitoring states.

The organization believes that the provocateur's activities are part of Russian influence in Poland, aiming to destabilize in any way possible. According to the Center, there are several similar provocateurs operating in Poland. In particular, the organization contacted the police about Belarusian Artyom Dubsky, who also staged provocations in shopping malls.

The President of Poland's Children's Rights Representative Monika Gorna-Czeslak reported that she is also addressing the case of the provocateur and his interactions with teenagers, reports Gazeta Wyborcza.

Additionally, provocateur Vladislav Oliynichenko regularly called on Russian-speaking residents of Warsaw to participate in his videos. He published a video calling for participation in his streams on November 1.

“Hello everyone! This is the uprising of boxes live! In the center of Warsaw,” the provocateur said in Russian.

Later, he released a video where people hidden in boxes crawl into a shopping mall. Oliynichenko wore a white cap on his head and commanded the people in boxes. After shouting “to attack,” the people in boxes began to move and entered a café, pushing and creating discomfort for visitors and staff.

On November 9, the provocateur announced that the next day would be the last group filming in Warsaw, as he allegedly wants to be deported from Poland. On November 10, the blogger posted a video where he jumped on the roofs of two cars with his supporters. This video, showing the provocateur smashing the vehicles, began to circulate among users of the Polish segment of X, outraged by the provocateur's behavior.

What is known about Vladislav Oliynichenko Crawly

Social media users have debated the origins of Vladislav Oliynichenko, long considering him Russian due to his use of the Russian language. In one of his videos, Crawly stated that he has Belarusian roots. Polish users of X claimed that Oliynichenko is Ukrainian and called for his immediate deportation. The Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Manifestations reported that he studied at a Ukrainian school. On the page of Dnipro Lyceum No. 139, you can find information that Oliynichenko was in 11th grade in 2019 and participated in events for Chemistry Week.

Crawly began his TikTok and Twitch streaming in 2023. Oliynichenko posted videos where he dressed as a gnome and attempted to enter the service areas of shopping malls and food establishments. Gazeta Wyborcza reported in July 2024 that the provocateur attacked McDonald's employees in Warsaw. The McDonald's press service stated that the provocateur causes discomfort to employees. Crawly also regularly terrorized the staff of Złote Tarasy shopping mall, one of whom could not take it anymore and decided to quit. In July of this year, the Warsaw police reported that they are investigating the provocateur's activities.

In 2023 and 2024, several English-speaking media outlets wrote about Crawly, describing him as a funny and entertaining blogger who quickly gathers millions of views. Moreover, other TikTok users began to imitate the provocateur's behavior. In particular, a Brazilian account on the language learning platform Duolingo published a video featuring a green owl (the symbol of Duolingo) wearing a gnome hat walking between the aisles in a store.