New Beginning: Life of Syrian Refugees in Russia After Fleeing Aleppo

In the city of Noginsk near Moscow there are about two thousand people from the Syrian city of Aleppo who have fled their war-torn country in search of a better life.

Most of these people have started working in the garment factories that were opened by their compatriots a few years ago.

Almost all of them have received temporary asylum in Russia and are now trying to register their place of residence in order to gain access to health care and send their children to school.

With the hope of finding a speedy resolution of this issue, the committee called Civil Assistance rented a small room where Syrian children and their parents are being provided with free Russian language lessons.

The old two-story building seems like it has not been repaired since the times of the tsars. The crumbling plaster in places exposes the brickwork. The rickety wooden sheds are seen in the yard. The window on the ground floor is broken and the wooden porch is completely askew. The depressing spectacle is further made gloomy by the fact that a prison is located near this building.

The rent for a space of four rooms, two of which have become classrooms is 32 thousand rubles a month. The public figures cannot pay any further as most of the assets have gone to the selection of qualified experts, equipment and training materials. Fortunately, everything inside looks much nicer than the outside: simple, neat and clean.

Syrian children are taught from morning till afternoon, adults come to these classes after they get off from work.

“People come after work and classes for them become more complex because they naturally feel sleepy. Arabic and European languages are two completely different worlds. Try to change the direction of handwriting now or pronunciation of vowels,” language instructor Irina Gvozdeva told Lenta.ru.

The Syrian diaspora in Noginsk has been there for several years. It is not some kind of closed community that lives by its special decree. They are from Aleppo and they have problems with legalization on Russian territory. But in every other way they are no different from the locals, they live, work and raise families just like everyone else.

In Noginsk there are rich and poor Syrians. The rich own sewing factories with equipment worth millions of rubles. There are around 50 such enterprises.

One man named Abdusalam and his two sons are involved in the educational project with the committee called ‘Civil Assistance’. They speak quite good English and have already learnt some Russian. Individuals like Abdulsalam are contributing to the assimilation of Syrian refugees, helping them to make Noginsk their new home.

As far as crime in Noginsk is concerned, a source in law enforcement said that Syrians do not occupy any of the prominent positions.

Regarding the criminal groups that have been created along ethnic lines, nothing is known. The reports that come from Syria are marked under common crime.