Chinese Workers Protest Unpaid Wages at Rosneft Site in Far East Russia

(KHABAROVSK REGION, RUSSIA) – Hundreds of Chinese workers staged an unsanctioned protest on Sunday outside a Rosneft-owned construction site in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk region, over unpaid wages. The workers had been building a fuel processing unit at a state owned Rosneft refinery.

The protest, unusual because foreign labourers rarely demonstrate publicly in Russia, points to  mounting economic pressures on the Russian energy sector. Rosneft, once considered among Russia’s wealthiest companies, has reported significant financial losses. Ukraine’s drone campaign and international sanctions have reduced Russian energy export revenues by an estimated 40 to 50% over the past year, according to industry data.

Local Russian media covered the event, but international outlets have largely overlooked it, said the narrator of a video report released by the Ukrainian analysis channel “Anna from Ukraine”.

Workers held placards written in Chinese demanding payment from Rosneft and addressed appeals to the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The protest occurred as the Kremlin faces growing labour shortages: many Russian men are deployed along the front lines in Ukraine and within Russian border regions. The Russian authorities have also restricted access to Telegram and other internet platforms to curb the spread of protest related information.

Demographic and economic shifts in Russia’s Far East have intensified. Chinese workers now populate many cities historically claimed by China, including Khabarovsk. While ordinary Russians in the region sometimes view Chinese economic activity as a solution to local job shortages, analysts note that Russia produces few globally competitive consumer goods, ranging from automobiles to electronics, leaving its market increasingly dominated by Chinese imports.

The Russian state has not commented on the protest. No arrests or injuries were reported.