A dramatic confrontation unfolded at a major Russian construction site on August 9, 2026, when more than 1,000 Chinese construction workers surrounded police and National Guard vehicles, forcing armed officers to release a detained colleague. The incident at the Baltic Chemical-Gas Complex in Leningrad Oblast began when a Chinese worker demanded his long-overdue wages from project management.
According to reports, management called police to the site, and armed forces from Russia's National Guard (known as Rosgvardia) arrived to arrest the worker. In response, over a thousand Chinese laborers encircled the police vehicles, preventing them from leaving with their detained coworker. Video footage from the scene showed the Rosgvardia vehicle surrounded by angry workers. Under intense pressure from the demonstrators, the armed officers retreated and released the worker.
The incident highlights escalating tensions between foreign workers and Russian employers at critical infrastructure sites, particularly over prolonged wage delays.
