The youngsters of a Russian spy couple who returned dwelling on Thursday within the largest prisoner change between the West and Russia for the reason that Chilly Battle didn’t be taught their nationality till on a flight to Moscow.
Artem Viktorovich Dultsev and Anna Valerevna Dultseva have been imprisoned in Slovenia whereas pretending to be a pair dwelling in Slovenia Asian Argentinian couple.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned the youngsters, who didn’t converse Russian and didn’t know who President Vladimir Putin was, requested their dad and mom who greeted them after they arrived.
A complete of 24 prisoners from seven totally different international locations have been exchanged on Thursday.
Sixteen have been Western prisoners in Russian prisons and eight have been Russian prisoners in the USA, Norway, Germany, Poland and Slovenia. Amongst them was Wall Road Journal reporter Alvin Gershkovich.
The Russian household of 4 acquired a heat welcome, and Mrs. Durtseva and her daughter accepted flowers and heat embraces from President Putin.
“Buenas noches,” the president mentioned in Spanish as he greeted the spies’ youngsters.
In keeping with Argentine media studies, the couple, named María Mayer and Ludwig Gisch, arrived in Slovenia in 2017 with Argentine passports.
The husband based a brand new IT firm beneath his pseudonym, and the spouse owns an internet artwork gallery.
The household was primarily based in Ljubljana till 2022, when the couple was arrested by Slovenian police on espionage expenses.
Forward of the large prisoner swap, Mr Durtsev and Mrs Durtseva have been every sentenced to 19 months in jail on Wednesday after pleading responsible to espionage expenses. However in accordance with the Related Press, given their arrest in 2022, they have been launched on time and ordered to go away Slovenia.
It was solely on Thursday that Kremlin spies and their youngsters have been returned to Russia as a part of a large prisoner change between Russia and the West.
The Kremlin mentioned the lives of 11-year-old Sofia and 8-year-old Gabriel modified ceaselessly after they discovered they have been Russians when the aircraft flew from Ankara to Vnukovo airport.
“The youngsters of the undercover brokers requested their dad and mom who greeted them yesterday,” Peskov mentioned, including: “They did not even know who Putin was.”
A Kremlin spokesman mentioned that is how undercover brokers work and “make such sacrifices for the sake of their work and dedication to service”.
