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From Murmansk, migrants must first make their way some 136 miles north — past barren tundra, Russian military bases and heavily armed checkpoints — to the small mining town of Nickel. There, refugees face a new twist: Russian law bans foot traffic at the border and Norway fines drivers for carrying migrants across — meaning the only way to cross is by bicycle. Yes, bicycle.   The legal twist has prompted a brisk trade in used bicycles throughout Russia’s Northwest — any size or condition accepted. Entrepreneurial Russian smugglers have even arranged package deals of minivans and bicycles. “We can’t just give the bicycles away for free, right?” says Kirill, a Russian who arranges transport from Murmansk to the border. “We help them so they don’t get lost. So someone doesn’t take advantage of them.“ As the trickle of refugees has grown, a lone hotel in the Russian town of Nickel has become a key stopover point before heading for the border. On a recent evening, migrant Syrians, Afghans, Egyptians, Palestinians, Iraqis and others pack into 30 rooms for the night. Others were left to seek refuge in a nearby student dormitory. Outside, vans loaded with bicycles waited to drop migrants at the border crossing.

(via Why some refugees are choosing to bike across the Russia-Norway border | Public Radio International)