Russian Embassy Expresses Regret Over Citizens Operating Secret Drug Laboratory in Bali
Jakarta – The Russian Embassy in Indonesia has expressed regret over the actions of its citizens who were discovered operating a clandestine drug laboratory in Bali recently.
Olesya Netesova, Second Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Indonesia, stated that whilst the incident was deeply regrettable, it was not a justification for the actions of the Russian nationals.
“We are committed to the laws of both Indonesia and Russia in combating narcotics and maintaining good relations between our two countries,” Netesova said during a press conference on the destruction of narcotic evidence in Jakarta on Tuesday.
She expressed admiration for Indonesia’s law enforcement efforts regarding narcotics, which successfully uncovered the Bali laboratory case.
Netesova emphasised that Russia and Indonesia have traditionally maintained conservative approaches to narcotics, with the primary objective of creating a safe and healthy society where every person can live, work, create, build a family, and serve their nation.
She stressed that there is no place nor sympathy for such global-scale criminal activity. “We hope we will continue moving in the same direction and work together to realise a world free from narcotics,” she said.
Head of Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Police Commissioner General Suyudi Ario Seto stated at a press conference in Gianyar, Bali, on Saturday (7 March) that the successful uncovering of this criminal case resulted from joint operational cooperation between the BNN, Immigration Directorate, Customs Directorate, and Bali Regional Police.
“This success is the result of a joint operation between the BNN, the Directorate General of Customs and the Directorate General of Immigration conducted intensively from January 2026, which successfully uncovered the clandestine laboratory operating in the Gianyar area of Bali and arrested two Russian nationals,” he said.
In the case, the BNN secured two foreign nationals from Russia: NT (female), also known as KS, and ST (male).