A pristine area that has largely been preserved from external influences, the Arctic faces dangers coming from climate change and the growing appetite of energy firms—not to mention the challenges associated with a burgeoning tourism industry. The Arctic’s growing connectedness with the rest of the world became apparent in late 2015 and early 2016, when an “Arctic road” suddenly emerged for refugees fleeing the southern Mediterranean basin. In September 2015 the small industrial city of Nikel, Russia, located about 30 km from the Norwegian border and 125 km from the regional capital Murmansk, faced an unprecedented wave of refugees. Two to three months later, at least 5,000 people had passed through the town to apply for refugee status in Norway. We conducted research in Nikel, Kandalaksha, and Murmansk in March and July 2016 and interviewed local experts who were involved with managing this influx of refugees.