Ukrainian Couple Faces Legal Action in Oman After Riding Nesting Sea Turtle for Instagram

Oman’s Environmental Authority says it has taken “necessary legal action” against a Ukrainian couple after video and photos surfaced showing them riding a nesting sea turtle in Ras al Hadd, a coastal area known as a nesting ground for several sea turtle species.

The images, posted to the Instagram account of Vadym Oleynik, 32, a fitness influencer with 200,000 followers who also describes himself as a Master of Sport in combat sambo, show him and his partner Olena Kravchenko, a cosmetic doctor, taking turns sitting on the turtle while it was laying eggs. One clip shows Oleynik holding a newly hatched turtle while balancing on the animal.

The pair were reportedly accompanied by environmental volunteers monitoring the nesting site at the time.

Oman’s Environmental Authority said the couple’s conduct violated wildlife protection laws and could threaten the turtles and their habitat, according to local media. Some reports indicated the two had been detained, though those claims remain unverified, and Oleynik continued posting vacation photos after the incident became public.

Backlash Online and From Conservationists

The footage drew sharp criticism on social media, with one X user calling the pair “sick scum of the earth” and another writing that they “ABUSED a sweet, innocent animal for laughs” and “should be punished.”

Italian conservation group Biologicamente, among the first to publicize the incident, criticized the environmental organization overseeing the site rather than only the tourists.

“An association run in a serious and professional manner, accompanied by a scientific committee, would never allow its volunteers to sit on the shell of a turtle, to take a selfie,” the group wrote on Facebook. “I can’t accept such an abhorrent level of ignorance.”

Oleynik Responds

Oleynik has since apologized, saying he was misled by the organization accompanying the couple and did not intend to harm the turtle.

“I didn’t see the rules. I made a mistake and apologise to everyone,” he said.