Norway Preparing to Deport 280 Refugees to Russia

The Norwegian authorities are planning to deport a total of 280 refugees to Russia, the director of a Murmansk transport company told RIA Novosti Sunday.

KIRKENES (Sputnik) — "The Norwegian side told me, that they have compiled a list of 280 people. About 80 of them are in a camp in the town of Kirkenes [bordering Russia], and the rest are in other centers, but can be transported to Kirkenes at any time, from where they will be deported to Russia," the director said.

The exact date of the deportation remains unknown, the source added.

"There is a lack of coordination between the Norwegian and Russian sides. At some time, there is no permission, then it turns out there are not enough supervisors on the border to process this number of refugees, then the computers got stuck," the director said.

Earlier on Friday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said that the deportation of Middle Eastern refugees who arrived in Norway through Russia would be suspended until Oslo and Moscow coordinate the process.

On Tuesday, 13 refugees were deported from Norway to Russia under an agreement to return them through the Storskog checkpoint by bus. A group of 30 refugees were due to arrive in Russia on Thursday, but the deportation was postponed for various reasons given by Norwegian officials.

The northernmost migrant route has been used by an estimated 5,500 people fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa as Europe continues to grapple with the greatest refugee crisis in decades.

Last year Norway deported some 400 asylum seekers to Russia, who had the documents that allowed them to stay on Russian soil.