MOSCOW: Anna and Artem Dultsev, undercover spies posing as Argentine immigrants in Slovenia, were recently deported to Russia along with their children aged 8 and 11, who do not speak Russian.
According to the Kremlin, the children – Sofia, 11, and Daniel, 8 – were completely unaware that their parents were Russian spies hiding as Argentine citizens in Slovenia, a crackdown based on such “illegals” being akin to characters in a TV show.
Sophia and Daniel’s family life ends suddenly when they board a plane bound for Moscow as part of a historic prisoner exchange. Upon arrival at Vnukovo airport, President Vladimir Putin greeted him in Spanish: “Good evening.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed on Friday that the children had always considered themselves Argentines. Sofia’s mother was seen crying with emotion as Putin presented her and Sofia with large bouquets of flowers.
“The children of undercover agents asked their parents who welcomed them,” Peskov said. “They didn’t even know who Putin was.”
“This is the reality of undercover work and sacrifices made in the service of one’s mission,” Peskov added, noting that the jailed Dultsev rarely saw his children during his tenure.
Dultsev arrived in Slovenia in 2017, assuming the identities of Ludwig Gish and Maria Rosa Mayor Munos, an Argentine couple who run an art gallery and IT company in the capital Ljubljana. These roles were part of their elaborate “legend,” which is the term for the Illegals’ fictional identity and backstory.
The couple were detained in late 2022 and their children were placed in foster care after their arrest.
