Indonesia to deport Russian who held party

A Russian social media celebrity is being deported from Indonesia, officials said on Sunday. The deportation came after he held a party at a luxury hotel on the resort island of Bali attended by more than 50 people. The party held on January 11 violated health protocols that put in place to fight the spread of the virus. Sergei Kosenko, who has more than 4.9 million followers on his Instagram account, arrived in Indonesia in October on a tourist visa.

Immigration officials in Bali decided to examine Kosenko's activities after he posted to social media a video of him driving a motorcycle with a female passenger on the back off a pier into the sea in December. The stunt was condemned by many Indonesians as reckless and potentially hazardous to the environment. Indonesia has temporarily restricted foreigners from coming to the country since January 1 to control the spread of COVID-19, and public activities have been restricted on Java and Bali islands.