Fierce clashes erupted in the street of Bali's hedonistic hotspot of Ubud after police shuttered a notorious resort that caters to Russian expats fleeing the Ukraine war and threat of conscription. Hundreds of officers descended on the Parq Ubud, which features long-stay accommodation, a series of bars and restaurants, a wellness centre, gym and co-work facilities, on Monday and booted out all the site's foreign residents.
The strongarm crackdown came after the owners of the resort - derisively referred to as 'Russian Village' by locals - were accused of repeatedly flouting local development restrictions. Vision of the encounter - which has since gone viral on social media - showed residents clashing with both police and locals as they were escorted from the facility under armed guard.
Balinese locals celebrated the move on social media, claiming the expat haven's mostly Russian residents had been running amok in the once peaceful mountain village since overtaking the town. The complex has earned a scurrilous reputation as the resort island struggles to contend with a growing number of foreign enclaves popping up across the tourism hotspot. Many of the village's inhabitants were said to be long-term residents in Bali who were banned from buying local properties by the island's strict foreign investment provisions.
The self-professed 'city of the future' has billed itself 'a 'global creative town for entrepreneurs, artists and investors' and had boasted a range of high-end apartment options for expats.
Balinese police escort foreign nationals from the notorious 'Russian Village' resort in the once-peaceful mountain town of Ubud. The self-contained 'city of the future' catered to mainly Russian expats and offered long-stay accommodation, bars and restaurants, a gymnasium and co-working spaces.
