Winter in late 2016. A scene from an abandoned army barracks behind the main transport hub of Belgrade, where roughly 1200 refugees were trying to survive in -15degrees. There were no showers, toilets or clean drinking water. The warehouses were full of the toxic smoke of oil-soaked sleepers, and surrounded by rubbish and excrement. It was one of the more desperate of migrant situations, save those traveling through hostile countryside or those of Greece. Serbian Authorities requested charities to stop giving out aid to discourage migrants. The EU had closed its borders and many migrants would return with broken limbs after trying for the Hungarian border to the north. Often phones were confiscated and smashed, and shoes were taken forcing the migrants to return to the barracks barefoot in the snow.
By February small aid-groups had installed 70 woodstoves and fuel supplies, showers and toilets, a charging station for phones, a space for women and children, and the younger migrants were being brought to the local swimming pool. There were also groups serving regular meals and providing medical care and clothing. In May the local authority evicted the Barracks with force and insecticide spray, and the migrants were moved to six camps in northern Serbia.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/secret-refugees-trapped-belgrades-barracks-1455200
https://www.facebook.com/infoparkserbia/posts/belgrade-barracks-game-overthese-historical-pics-represent-one-of-the-most-emoti/1307270942660500/