Argentine Kids Find Out Parents are Actually Russian Spies on Plane to Moscow
Picture this: you’re born in Argentina and live a pretty normal life with your family. Your mom runs an online art gallery in Slovenia, and your dad works in tech. Then, one day, you get on a plane and find out your parents were actually Russian spies all along.
This is what happened to 11-year-old Sofia and her 8-year-old brother, Daniel. The children of freed Russian spies didn’t know their parents’ true identity until they boarded a government plane from Ankara and landed in Moscow last weekend.
According to “The Guardian,” the plane was full of spies, assassins, and criminals as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. As the aircraft was on its way to Russia, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev and Anna Valerevna Dultseva revealed the truth of their identities to the children.
That’s not all, though—the kids were greeted by none other than President Vladimir Putin, who welcomed them with a warm “Buenas Noches” and handed Sofia and her mother a bouquet of flowers.
The family told friends they left Argentina to avoid street crime
Although Sofia and Daniel were born in Argentina—and thought their parents were too—they moved to Slovenia in 2017. As reported by “The Guardian,” the family told friends they were leaving their “home” country to avoid street crime.
The family arrived in Ljubljana with their Argentine passports, posing as María Mayer and Ludwig Gisch. Mayer set up an online gallery, while Gisch started an IT company. But then, things went sour in 2022. Slovenian police arrested the couple under espionage charges in 2022.
While the parents were in jail, the children were sent to foster care. Until that point, they still thought they were Argentine. Kremlin officials state the Dultsevs are considered “illegals,” which are deep-cover spies who operate at their own risk. These spies are “making such sacrifices for the sake of their work and their dedication to their service.”
Compared to other agents posted under diplomatic covers, “illegals” are on their own. They work normal jobs, live in the suburbs, and operate without diplomatic immunity.
Now, the real-life “Spy Kids” have met Putin, and one of them wants to be a spy
Life has officially changed forever for Sofia and Daniel. As per the Kremlin, just a week ago, the children hadn’t even heard of Putin.
“Their parents raised them as Spanish-speaking Catholics, and now they need to get to know what borsch is,” a television presenter for Russia-1 state TV said while interviewing the family on Monday.
Plot twist, though? Sofia wants to take after her parents and be a spy herself.
“When we told Sofia who we were and that we were returning home, she asked if she could also be a spy,” the mother added during the interview.
