Bali Authorities Have Launched An AI-driven Manhunt For Russians

• 9.11.2026, 20:09

Russian citizens are being deported for posting about subletting apartments in chat rooms.

Authorities on the Indonesian island of Bali have launched an AI-driven hunt for Russians. This was reported by the Telegram channel Baza.

According to the publication, a special cyber unit has been set up in Bali that uses a neural network to monitor Russian-language Telegram channels and identify signs of illegal commerce. Tourists and expats are being deported for posting about subletting villas or looking for roommates.

Lydia, a resident of Kazan, fell victim to this. She was planning to move out of her rented house and wanted to help the owners find new tenants. However, after she posted an ad in the chat rooms, an undercover inspector contacted her. Later, she was summoned for questioning and forced to pay a large sum to avoid deportation. Lydia refused to pay the bribe and was expelled from the island.

Vlada, a resident of Krasnodar, found herself in a similar situation while searching online chat rooms for a roommate to share a villa with. Local authorities tracked her down, summoned her for questioning, and then deported her.

Under Indonesian law, foreigners on tourist visas are not allowed to engage in commercial activities. Since the beginning of 2026, 2,000 tourists have been deported for this violation. By comparison, there were 400 deportations in all of 2025.