A clash between a Russian tourist and locals in Bali has attracted widespread attention, with a video showing the man being choked after he was accused of inappropriately touching women during a night out. The video, filmed in the coastal area of Uluwatu, captures the chaotic scene: a shirtless man is pinned to the ground, surrounded by onlookers, while a local man – Balinese boxer and gym owner Belda Brig Sando – puts him in a headlock from behind. As the struggle unfolded, the tourist appeared to lose consciousness while onlookers panicked. In the background, voices urging restraint could be heard. “He’s out, he’s out,” one person said repeatedly, trying to defuse the situation. But Sandow remained in control, telling the man and those watching: “Respect the locals.” After a while, he explained what led to the confrontation, saying: “It was a drunk foreigner who touched a girl without respect.” The word “bule” is commonly used in Indonesia to refer to foreign tourists, usually white people. The video shows the man’s face turning red as he struggled and slapping Sandow’s arm in an apparent attempt to break free. After tensing for a few seconds, his body became limp. Only then did Sandow gradually let go of his hand, letting the man lie motionless on the ground, and then began to move again. When the visitor regained consciousness, visibly disoriented and slurring his words, he muttered: “I get it, I get it.” Still at his side, Sandow made clear the intention behind his actions: “If I hit you, I can finish you off. But I choke you until you get it. Where do you come from?” “I understand, bro. I’m from Russia,” the man replied, wiping his face. Sandow warned: “Are you from Russia? [There’s] There are a lot of Russians doing things here, don’t be one of them. “ When the man now sat up and asked, “Who did I touch?” Sandow interrupted: “Who? Don’t say who. Everyone saw it, you were drunk.” He then added, “Bali is nice, but if you’re not nice, we can crush you here. Shut up and go home.”
What Sandow said later
Following the incident, Zando Fight Club operator Zando addressed the conflict in a statement posted online, providing both a rationale and a degree of reflection. “This guy was drunk – touching people, walking in the middle of the street, blocking strangers, even doing his usual slapping on the head,” he said, describing the behavior that reportedly escalated tensions. He added that it was only after a line was crossed that the situation turned physical: “No one said anything until he touched one of my friends. That’s when I stepped in and things turned into a fight.” While defending his intervention, Sandow also acknowledged the way things unfolded: “What I did was probably not the right thing to do, and for that I apologize. I’m human – sometimes emotions take over. But I didn’t start. He crossed the line first. “ He put the incident down to wider concerns about the behavior of some visitors to the island: “Bali is a beautiful place and the people here are friendly 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 behave in a disrespectful manner.”Also read: US tourist detained for violating Bali’s most sacred rules on ‘Day of Silence’
Wider attention patterns
The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of tourist behavior in Bali, which has long marketed itself as welcoming but increasingly faces challenges related to overcrowding and inappropriate behavior. Earlier this year, a separate video showed tourists fighting outside a supermarket in Kuta, with women screaming as the conflict escalated before locals intervened. In another case, American tourist Karl Adolf Amrhein, 57, was detained by local security services on March 19, 2026, for walking along a main road in Sukawati during Nyepi (day of silence). Nyepius is an annual holy holiday in which all outdoor activity, travel and noise are prohibited for 24 hours. In response to a series of such incidents, the Bali Provincial Government launched Code of Conduct updated for 2025 Targeted at foreign tourists. Governor Wayan Koster said the measures aimed to address concerns ranging from respect for religious customs to environmental protection and public behavior. “This ensures that tourism in Bali remains respectful, sustainable and in harmony with our local values,” Coster said at the time.
