Russian spies Artyom and Anna Dultsev, who were released in a captive exchange between Russia and Western powers, spoke about their experience living under a false identity in Slovenia.
According to their statements, the Russians captured in December 2022 lived in Slovenia with their two children and had Argentine passports under the identities of Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos. Dultseva ran an art gallery, while her husband founded an IT start-up.
Last week, Slovenian authorities sentenced the couple to more than one year and a half in prison for “espionage and document forgery.”
A day later, Russian President Vladimir Putin received them in Moscow after the exchange as part of a large prisoner exchange between the country and Western countries, the largest since the Cold War.
During an interview, Anna Dultseva recounted the moment when her true Russian identity was revealed to her children during the flight to Moscow. “We told them that we are Russians and that we are the Dultsev,” she said.
While the Kremlin admitted that both were “illegal” agents, meaning spies with false identities abroad, they never spoke their native language. Dultseva said she is now having difficulty picking it up again. The family raised their children in Spanish and Catholicism.
Artyom Dultsev said that for them, “family is our country” and his wife expressed “great gratitude” to Putin, indicating that they will continue “serving Russia.”