Police have launched a criminal investigation after fishermen dumped tonnes of fish onto a road to block access for lorries making deliveries to a nearby mill.
The incident took place in the village of Nechayevka, located in the Korsakovsky district of Sakhalin — a remote island region in Russia’s Far East, known for its fisheries and rugged wilderness.
According to local media, tensions had been brewing between the fishermen and workers at a nearby mill. The fishermen reportedly objected to heavy trucks using the local road to transport goods and staged the fish-dumping protest to make it unusable.
Footage from the scene shows the road carpeted with herring, preventing regular vehicles from passing. In a bizarre twist, the fishermen are later seen attempting to remove the fish, not by clearing them, but by driving a lorry back and forth over the carcasses to crush them into the road.
The stunt has sparked outrage among residents, who say the rotting fish have created an unbearable stench and fear the mess will attract bears from the surrounding forests.
In response, the local authorities have confirmed that a criminal case has been opened to investigate the protest and its environmental and public health implications.
(Joseph Golder/newsX)