According to the news agency, about 600 refugees were refused asylum by the Norwegian authorities during the last two months.
"They didn’t tell us anything, didn’t give us any explanation – they just came to the refugee camp one night and said that all who have Russian visas or resident status will be sent back home," a deported Afghan refugee who called himself Misha told RIA Novosti. "They only told us to pack our things."
The refugees often depart from Norway via the country’s border with Russia on the very bicycles they used to enter the country, as the law forbids crossing the border on foot.
About 5,500 refugees, most of them from Africa and the Middle East, have entered Norway via the so called ‘northern route’ since August, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. Russia’s border with Norway is approximately 200 km long and the only national land border between two countries to be located entirely within the Arctic Circle.
