GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — "I miss the scent of the forest. Sometimes, I feel that I can smell it." This is what Svetlana Birova misses most from "Mother Russia" after 20 years of not leaving the Gaza Strip, even for short trips.

"Although I miss my country, I consider my homeland to be where my husband, my son and my daughter Miriam are. I remember the difficulties I faced in the first years here because of the difference in cultures, but, with the help of my husband, I resisted homesickness," Birova said.

Birova isn't the only Russian here in Gaza: There are more than 80 Russian women married to Gazan men living in the Strip. This is in addition to hundreds of other women from former Soviet states, according to the Compassionate Hearts Association, which is concerned with the affairs of these women.

Birova and her husband, Fadel Ashour, spoke to Al-Monitor in a cafe that they have frequented in the evenings for many years. "Whenever I see a new Russian wife arrive in Gaza, I feel the foolishness of her decision. I imagine the difficulties she will face, regardless of her beauty and her university degree. Here, Russian wives have no protection," she said.