A confrontation involving a Russian tourist and local residents in Bali has drawn widespread attention after a video surfaced showing the man being restrained in a chokehold following allegations that he had inappropriately touched women during a night out. The footage, filmed in the coastal area of Uluwatu, captures a chaotic scene: a shirtless man pinned to the ground, surrounded by onlookers, as a local man, identified as Balinese fighter and gym owner Belda Brig Sando, holds him in a headlock from behind. As the struggle unfolds, the tourist appears to lose consciousness while bystanders react in alarm. In the background, voices can be heard urging restraint. “He’s out, he’s out,” one person says repeatedly, attempting to de-escalate the situation. But Sando, maintaining the hold, addresses both the man and those watching: “Respect locals.” Moments later, he explains what led to the confrontation, saying, “This is a drunk bule (foreigner) touching a girl and having no respect.” The term “bule” is commonly used in Indonesia to refer to foreign, typically white, visitors. The video shows the man’s face reddening as he struggles, tapping at Sando’s arm in an apparent attempt to break free. After several tense seconds, his body goes limp. Only then does Sando gradually release the hold, leaving the man lying motionless on the ground before he begins to stir again. As the tourist regains consciousness, visibly disoriented and slurring his words, he mutters, “I got it, I got it.” Sando, still standing over him, makes clear the intent behind his actions: “If I punch you, I can finish you. But I choked you till you understood. Where are you from?” “I understand bro. I’m from Russia,” the man replies, wiping his face. Sando responds with a warning : “Are you from Russia? [There’s] many Russian people doing s**t here, don’t be one of them.” When the man, now sitting up, asks, “Who did I touch?”, Sando cuts him off: “Who? Don’t say who. Everybody already saw it, you’re drunk.” He then adds, “Bali is nice, but if you’re not nice, we can smash you here. Shut up and go home.”
What Sando said afterwards
Following the incident, Sando, who runs Zando Fight Club, addressed the confrontation in a statement posted online, offering both justification and a degree of reflection. “This guy was drunk – touching people, walking in the middle of the road, stopping strangers, and even slapping heads like it’s normal,” he said, describing the behaviour that had reportedly escalated tensions. He added that the situation only turned physical after a boundary was crossed: “No one said anything until he touched one of my friends. That’s when I stepped in, and it turned into a fight.” While defending his intervention, Sando also acknowledged the way it unfolded: “What I did may not have been right, and for that I apologise. I’m human – sometimes emotions take over. But I didn’t start it. He crossed the line first.” He framed the incident within a wider concern about conduct among some visitors to the island: “Bali is a beautiful place, and the people here are kind and respectful. That’s what we want everyone to experience. But respect goes both ways. I’m tired of seeing some foreigners come here and act without respect.”Also read: American tourist detained after being caught violating Bali’s most sacred rule on ‘Day of Silence’
A wider pattern of concern
The incident arrives amid growing scrutiny of tourist behaviour in Bali, a destination that has long marketed itself as welcoming but has increasingly faced challenges linked to overcrowding and misconduct. Earlier this year, a separate video showed tourists brawling outside a supermarket in Kuta, with women heard screaming as the fight escalated before locals intervened. In another case, American tourist Karl Adolf Amrhein, 57, was detained by local security on March 19, 2026, for walking along a main road in Sukawati during Nyepi (the Day of Silence), the annual sacred holiday that prohibits all outdoor activity, travel, and noise for 24 hours. In response to a series of such incidents, Bali’s provincial government introduced updated behavioural guidelines in 2025 aimed at foreign visitors. Governor Wayan Koster said the measures were intended to address concerns ranging from respect for religious customs to environmental protection and public conduct. “This ensures that Bali’s tourism remains respectful, sustainable and in harmony with our local values,” Koster said at the time.
