Russian infrastructure projects face unrest from Chinese workers

In Russia, large-scale infrastructure projects are facing increasing instability due to mass protests by foreign workers over unpaid wages. On August 9, 2026, over 1,000 Chinese construction workers at the Baltic Chemical and Gas Complex in the Leningrad region surrounded Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) vehicles. The confrontation occurred when security forces attempted to arrest a worker demanding overdue wages, forcing the guards to retreat and release the individual.

This incident follows similar unrest, such as protests by Petro-Hechua employees at a Rosneft project in Komsomolsk on Amur in April 2026. These events highlight Russia's growing reliance on Chinese labor for critical projects as domestic resources are diverted to the war in Ukraine, while also exposing the limitations of Russian security mechanisms in managing large-scale foreign worker unrest.