BADUNG – A Russian national identified as RK, aged 36, was deported from Bali after spending a year on the island. RK had fled Russia, seeking refuge in Bali to avoid mandatory military service in his home country, where Russia is engaged in a conflict with Ukraine.
According to Gede Dudy Duwita, Head of the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center, RK’s deportation was decided after he stayed in Indonesia for over a year, during which he sought asylum but faced uncertainty regarding third-country resettlement.
RK first visited Indonesia around 2010 and returned several times on different visas, including a Permanent Stay Permit (ITAP) valid until September 4, 2022. His Indonesian wife had sponsored his stay at the time. However, in 2023, RK filed for asylum, citing fear of returning due to Russia’s mobilization of adult men for military service.
Dudy stated, “He felt unsafe returning to Russia at that time.”
RK remained in Bali until early 2024, working as a digital nomad in online advertising. Early in the year, he received information suggesting that Russia would no longer enforce the mobilization. Additionally, RK’s father’s deteriorating health became a primary reason for his decision to return.
RK was finally repatriated on October 15, 2024, on a flight from Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to Makhachkala International Airport in Russia.