DENPASAR — Two Russian nationals, Anastasiia Koveziuk (26) and Maxsim Tokarev (32), were sentenced to 10 months in prison by the Denpasar District Court for running an international online prostitution service based in Bali, using Telegram as a primary platform.
The verdict was delivered by Chief Judge Heriyati during a hearing on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Both defendants were found guilty of violating Article 4 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 30 of Law No. 44 Year 2008 on Pornography, alongside Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1 of the Criminal Code.
“Each defendant is sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, with time served during detention deducted, and both remain in custody,” said Judge Heriyati.
The sentence was lighter than the prosecution’s demand of one year imprisonment. However, the court considered their admissions and cooperation during the trial.
The case broke open in the early hours of January 10, 2025, following a police raid at the KOA D’Surfer Hotel in North Kuta, Badung, Bali. Officers found a Russian woman named Ermakova Ekaterina, also known as Lisa, engaging in sexual activity with a Russian man, Kiryl Adamchuk.
Court testimony revealed that Kiryl paid Anastasiia Rp 5.5 million via bank transfer for the encounter. Prosecutors said Lisa was a victim exploited through an online prostitution ring promoted via a Telegram group managed by Anastasiia. Investigations showed that both defendants were key figures in this cross-border prostitution network.
Anastasiia’s role included managing the Telegram account for promotion, handling scheduling, locations, recruitment, and managing financial transactions through various methods including bank transfers and cryptocurrency.
Maxsim acted as the operator and field manager, communicating with clients through WhatsApp, setting prices, and coordinating escorts to client locations.
The profit-sharing system awarded 50% to the escorts, 40% to Anastasiia, and 10% to Maxsim.