# Russian researcher Alexander Finiarel awaits legal status after two years undocumented in Spain

https://mins.news/en/item/83910

- Meduza, 2026-10-02 17:54 UTC
- Society
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/10/02/russian-political-researcher-alexander-finiarel-has-lived-in-spain-without-papers-for-two-years-but-soon-he-and-half-a-million-other-refugees-will-be-able-to-get-documents-this-is-his-story

> Spain planned to legalize about 500,000 undocumented migrants in 2026, but nearly 1.2 million people applied. Russian political researcher and journalist Alexander Finiarel says he became undocumented after an evacuation and humanitarian-residence arrangement from Georgia collapsed. He describes an overloaded asylum system, a black market for appointments, lengthy processing, and the travel restrictions faced by applicants.