After his outbreak war in Ukraineluxurious complex of buildings Park Ubud in Bali, Indonesiaresidential buildings, general offices, cafes and restaurants, have become a haven for Russians and Ukrainians.

A bond of friendship has developed between the two sides, but the distant war continues to take its toll on the majority. “I am ashamed that I did nothing to stop the war and what is happening. Russians and Ukrainians are not comfortable here in Bali,” says Polina Ptushkina, a 21-year-old Russian developer of cryptocurrency startups who has been living in Bali since March. Ptushkina says she protested the war in Moscow on the first day of the invasion. Many Russian residents of the park say they are there to avoid being drafted. Although they all disagree with the war, they remain careful about what they say when they talk about it. Russian President Putin.

Difficult communication

For some Ukrainian residents and park-goers, the sight of Russians is a painful reminder of reality back home. “We no longer know how to communicate with Russians. It’s very difficult for us. We have completely different information,” says Petr Tarasyuk, owner of a travel website. In the spring, Tarasyuk helped ten Ukrainians move to Bali. One of Tarasyuk’s last employees, 24-year-old Igor Popov from Odessa, currently works as a registrar for Ukrainians at Bali International Airport. Even before the war, the paradise island in Indonesia was a favorite vacation spot for Russians and Ukrainians. Today, the island promotes the image of an ideal place for digital nomads to live permanently by offering long-term visas to educated foreigners.

As of September, more than 14,500 Russians and 3,000 Ukrainians permanently resided in Bali, according to the Indonesian immigration service. William Vibe, the park’s American founder, says he and his investors never expected their establishments to attract Russians and Ukrainians, as they assumed Chinese and Australian tourists would be their main customers. “Ten days after the start of the war, we were full,” Wieb says. 90% of the park’s tenants are Russians and Ukrainians.

“In my daily life, I don’t touch the issue of war at all. But when I talk to my family in Kharkiv and beg them to leave and realize how much they are suffering, it is very difficult for me to cope with this,” says 35-year-old Ukrainian psychotherapist Natalya Pryatkina.