Homelessness is on the rise in the capital as the Russian economy suffers from the falling price of oil, its main export.
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Moscow is known for its harsh winters, and for more and more people there’s no break from the freezing cold.
Homelessness is on the rise in the capital as the Russian economy suffers from the falling price of oil, its main export.
Some charities estimate there are now more than 100,000 people living rough in Moscow.
“Many people end up freezing to death in their sleep. I know many who have died,” said 29-year-old Vera. “Me, I’m cold and hungry, as always.”
More than two million Russians fell into poverty last year, as government spending cuts and inflation squeezed household income.
To escape the cold, some choose to go underground — into the city’s sewers. Sky News met with about half a dozen men living packed together in a claustrophobic cave. Huddled against sewage pipes, they try to keep warm until the next day.
A life in the dark … Moscow's young homeless, seeking sanctuary from the winter underground: https://t.co/dFXoIXijSy
— John Sparks (@sparkomat) January 31, 2016