Syrian Migrants in Russia Wait to Cross Tightening Border
Outside Maher al-Masihi’s rooms in the Arctic city of Murmansk, the snow is deep and the temperature far below freezing. He pulls out a smartphone and gazes at a map of Syria, where the weather is sunny and balmy. The weather aside, he is happy to be in Russia and frightened he'll be forced back to Syria.
Syrian refugee Maher al-Masihi (2R) and his family pose for a photo in Murmansk, Russia, on Jan. 28, 2016. When al-Masihi and his family set out four months ago, they planned on traveling to Norway via Russia to avoid the “risky” Mediterranean sea crossing. Now, the family of five is stranded in the Russian Arctic city of Murmansk, held up by bureaucracy and border control. AP Photo/Roman Stepanovich
MURMANSK, Russia—Outside Maher al-Masihi’s rooms in the Arctic city of Murmansk, the snow is deep and the temperature far below freezing. He pulls out a smartphone and gazes at a map of Syria, where the weather is sunny and balmy. The weather aside, he is happy to be in Russia and frightened he'll be forced back to Syria.
“We cannot go back. There’s a big war in our village, near our house,” he says.
We cannot go back. There's a big war in our village, near our house.
