The incident on Russky Island took place when Muslim workers confronted security personnel over a dry law that made it impossible for them to celebrate Uraza-bayram, which marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Saturday.
In accordance with the rule, officers confiscated workers' alcohol Saturday.
Some 500 workers, some wielding stones, pelted officers and nearby vehicles, prompting officials to call in riot police. Eight were injured in the ensuing violence; one worker was bitten by a police dog and one person was hospitalized, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.
The construction site was not damaged because the brawl took place at a workers' dormitory nearby, said Yekaterina Chernenko, a spokeswoman for Krokus, the general contractor in charge of building the Far-Eastern Federal University, which will host the APEC summit.
This is not the first labor disturbance to hit Russky Island. In September 2010, Chinese workers went on strike, demanding unpaid wages, the BBC Russian service reported at the time.
An investigation has been opened into Sunday's incident.
