Russian Spy Couple Comes Back From Slovenia, Their Kids Fail to Identify Vladimir Putin

Similar to the plot of a movie, young Sofia and Daniel were completely unaware that their parents were covert Russian operatives masquerading as Argentine expatriates in Slovenia. Their true nationality was only revealed to them upon their journey to Moscow, according to the Kremlin. Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, the parents, were part of the group of 24 individuals who were freed in a significant prisoner exchange agreement.

Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva had assumed the identities of an Argentine couple in Slovenia and were subsequently found guilty of espionage. Their two children, Sofia, aged 11, and Daniel, aged 8, traveled with them to Moscow from Turkey on Thursday, as reported by CNN.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned that the children “realized their true nationality only when the aircraft departed from Ankara”.

Interestingly, upon their arrival in Moscow, they were welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the runway speaking in Spanish, as they were not fluent in Russian. Peskov also highlighted that they were unfamiliar with Putin’s identity.

“As the children descended the stairs from the plane – not knowing Russian – and Putin greeted them in Spanish, saying ‘Buenas noches’,” Peskov stated. 

He went on to explain that later the children inquired with their parents about the person who had greeted them as they were unaware of Putin’s identity.

As the family descended from the steps of the aircraft, Anna, holding back tears, embraced the Russian President, who was standing on the red carpet laid out on the runway holding bunches of flowers. 

Putin greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and shoulder, and also presented her and her daughter with bouquets.

Additionally, he extended greetings to the other released Russians before walking together with them on the red carpet away from the plane.

The momentous exchange was the culmination of years of undisclosed negotiations involving the US, Russia, Belarus, and Germany. This eventually led Berlin to acquiesce to Moscow’s primary demand – the release of convicted Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov.

According to reports, a total of eight individuals, including Krasikov, were repatriated to Russia in exchange for 16 individuals detained in Russia, including former US Marine Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, a journalist from the Wall Street Journal, and two other Americans.

On Wednesday, both Dultsev and Dultseva had admitted guilt to espionage in a Ljubljana court. They were sentenced to prison terms.

Dultsev, who had been living covertly in Slovenia, had posed as an IT entrepreneur named Ludvig Gisch. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to over a year and a half in prison. 

On the other hand, Dultseva had assumed the identity of an art dealer and gallery owner named Maria Rosa Mayer Munos. Both of them were scheduled for deportation.