When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Turkey

A Tale Of Two Syrians Who Tried To Swim To Europe

Two Syrian refugees who attempted to swim part of the way to Europe recounted why they wound up making such a dangerous journey.

A coast guard boat carrying rescued refugees approaching the Greek island of Lesbos
A coast guard boat carrying rescued refugees approaching the Greek island of Lesbos

The more than four million Syrians who have fled the country's civil war since 2011 have dominated headlines over the past few months. While many have remained in neighboring countries such as Turkey and Lebanon, a growing number have begun trying to reach Europe, where they hope to be granted asylum in the face of rising anti-immigration sentiment from Hungary to the United Kingdom.

Many of those who make it onto European soil enter via Italy and Greece, on the shores of the Mediterranean. At the mercy of people smugglers and enduring perilous conditions along the way — including taking to the sea on unsafe old boats and dinghies — many have died.

Syria Deeply spoke to two men who took the Mediterranean route, but without any boat. They'd decided, instead to swim from Turkey to Greece.

Hisham Muaddamani, 24, left his war-torn hometown of eastern Ghouta with the dream of finding security in Europe and continuing his university studies. "This was the first time I had ever left Syria," he said. "I left because the fighting and the government-imposed blockade left me hopeless."Like many rebel-held parts of the country, eastern Ghouta is under siege by government forces. "Leaving home was extremely difficult and dangerous," recalled Muaddamani. But after several failed attempts, he managed to find a truck driver to smuggle him into Jordan. Upon arriving at the border, the Jordanian authorities seized all of his documents and detained him for 12 hours before deporting him back to Syria, where he stayed in Daraa for a few weeks before entering Jordan,. There, Muaddamani was able to pay a border guard $400 to return his identity card and other documents that had been seized previously.

"The following day I met a Syrian man named Firas … on a plane to Turkey," he said. "He was also going to Europe." Smugglers informed the men that it would cost them $1,000 per head in order to get from Turkey to Greece.

"We didn't have the money, so I decided to swim," he recalled matter-of-factly.

Firas and Muaddamani checked a map, surprised to find out that the distance was only five miles. They purchased life jackets and ziplock bags for sealing their documents and money for the journey. Then, one night at around 9 p.m., they approached the shores of the Mediterranean and prepared themselves. "Firas is a good swimmer," Muaddamani said. "I am not so skilled. I told him I'd swim next to him for 50 meters, and that he should continue without me if I couldn't go on.

[rebelmouse-image 27089469 alt=""From" original_size="615x402" expand=1]

Hisham Muaddamani — Photo: Personal file/Syria Deeply

"The water was so cold, and it was very dark outside," he recalled. After swimming for a long time, Muaddamani says that his partner kept encouraging him to stay strong and press on. "After six hours of swimming, we were too tired to continue."

The men thought they saw an island in the distance, but were disappointed when they arrived to find that it was only a large rock. "We were scared, exhausted and frustrated, but we decided to take a rest," he said. Two hours later, they saw a light far off in the water. "I took out my laser pen and signaled it," Muaddamani commented. "It turned out to be a ship. They contacted the Greek coast guard for us, and it arrived just a few minutes later."

Once in Greece, the men were provided with medical treatment and given six-month residency permits. But only two days after their arrival, they were well enough to travel and caught a bus to the Macedonian border.

"We walked for hours from the last village to the border," he said. "We took a break under some trees. I was shocked when my phone picked up service — I saw a message from my mother telling me that my father had died. I was devastated.

More than ever, Muaddamani was determined to make it to Germany. "Continuing my studies was my father's dream for me," he said

Along the way, Firas and Muadammani were forced to bribe Serbian police officers — a mere 10 euros each. "We walked another seven hours before arriving in Hungary, where the police detained us. They said we had to go back to Serbia or apply for asylum there in Hungary."

The men started the application process, but decided to continue their journey before completing it. Having spent most of their money along the way, they were unable to afford to pay a smuggler to take them from Hungary to Germany. So they took a taxi to the border, where the driver was arrested for transporting refugees to the border.

"We had been worried that they wouldn't accept our asylum applications because we had already initiated the process in Hungary."

According to the Dublin Regulation, an agreement between EU countries, refugees must apply for asylum and reside in the first EU country in which they arrive. Yet, in August 2015, Germany suspended its participation in that agreement for Syrian refugees, which means applications can be processed there directly.

When the men arrived in Germany, 35 days after leaving Syria, the local police detained them for hours, "But when they learned that we're Syrian, they just said, ‘Welcome to Germany,'" he recalled. "That was the happiest moment of my life."

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

This is a tale of a Ukrainian special forces operator who wound up surviving 14 hours at sea, staying afloat and dodging Russian air and sea patrols.

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

Looking at the Black Sea in Odessa, Ukraine.

Rustem Khalilov and Roksana Kasumova

KYIV — During a covert operation in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian special agent was thrown overboard and spent the next 14 hours alone at sea, surrounded by enemy forces.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

The agent, who uses the call-sign "Conan," agreed to speak to Ukrainska Pravda, to share the details of nearly being lost forever at sea. He also shared some background on how he arrived in the Ukrainian special forces. Having grown up in a village in a rural territory of Ukraine, Conan describes himself as "a simple guy."

He'd worked in law enforcement, personal security and had a job as a fitness trainer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. That's when he signed up with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Main Directorate of Intelligence "Artan" battalion. It was nearly 18 months into his service, when Conan faced the most harrowing experience of the war. Here's his first-hand account:

Keep reading...Show less

The latest