This is the moment a Russian tourist was dealt instant karma after picking a fight with two Brits who tried to walk away before knocking him out in Thailand.
The late-night confrontation occurred on Bangla Walking Street on December 10 and involved two British men, a woman who was with them, and the Russian, described by onlookers as ‘extremely’ intoxicated.
Video of the altercation shows the Russian man, wearing a black Mizuno T-shirt, repeatedly confronting the group as they tried to walk away.
Witnesses said the British tourists attempted for several minutes to de-escalate the tense situation and leave the area, but the man followed them and continued to demand a fight.
At one point, the Russian tourist is seen squaring up to one of the British men, raising his fists and stepping backwards as bystanders gathered around.
A passerby attempted to intervene, but moments later, one of the Britons struck the Russian man with a single right hook, knocking him to the ground.
The footage then shows the man lying on the pavement momentarily. He tried to get back up several times, but was kicked before other onlookers stepped in to separate the men.
After the altercation, the injured man was seen sitting on steps near a McDonald’s restaurant with blood visible on his face.
There are no reports of emergency services attending the scene.
A witness identified only as Veeraphat said the Russian tourist had been aggressively pursuing the group.
‘The guy looked extremely drunk and kept trying to pick a fight with the two men from the UK. One of them had his girlfriend with him,’ he said.
‘They tried to walk away several times because they did not want any trouble with him, but he kept following them.’
Veeraphat added: ‘The Russian wanted to fight but he lost quickly.’
Local police confirmed that no complaint was filed and no report was made at Patong police station following the incident.
Bangla Walking Street is one of Phuket’s busiest nightlife areas and regularly attracts large crowds of international tourists.
The island has seen a sharp increase in visitor numbers since Thailand introduced visa-free entry schemes aimed at boosting tourism revenue after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Should tourists who provoke fights while drunk face harsher consequences abroad?
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Phuket recorded around 800,000 foreign visitors last year and remains one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations.
Local authorities are increasingly warning about the pressures of over-tourism and alcohol-related disorder in resort areas.
It has also been estimated that around one million Brits visit Thailand each year.
Last month, a video emerged showing a British national involved in a brawl with another tourist after a man allegedly put his bare feet on his headrest.
Earlier this year, another British tourist was attacked after he was said to have refused to pay a £460 drinks bill.
