Two “illegal” spies and their two children have been handed over to Russian authorities in the largest prisoner swap since the fall of the USSR.
Thursday, August 1 marked a historic turning point. Russia and several Western countries exchanged a total of 26 prisoners, including a couple of “illegal” spies and their two children. Arrested in Slovenia, the country where they operated, the couple took Argentinian nationality with their two children. The two minors knew nothing about their parents’ real profession and were unaware of their Russian origins. This story shows how espionage has no limits.
1- What are “illegal” spies?
Born in the 1930s under Stalin, they were used extensively during the Cold War. You might think this practice came straight out of a movie, and yet illegal spies still exist today.
Unlike their counterparts who are posted “officially” for a limited period under diplomatic cover in embassies or consulates, “illegal” spies are immersed in the target country for several years. under a stolen identity. Also noted that these spies do not benefit from protection. Responsible for collecting information, they must become real actors.
2- False identities
For 12 years, Artiom Doultsev and Anna Doultseva, the two illegal spies, lived under a false identity. To create this credible false identity that we call a ” legend “ takes time. In the case of these two illegal spies handed over to the Russian authorities, both took a new first and last name as well as a new nationality.
Artiom Doultsev becomes Ludwig Gisch, an Austrian citizen born in Namibia to an Argentinian mother. As for Anna Doultseva, she takes the name of Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, a Mexican born in Greece. This Maria really existed, but died almost 30 years ago in a small Greek village. Little Maria was only a few weeks old. It is common for the identities taken over by “illegal” spies to be deceased children.
3 – A parallel life
To carry out their mission, the spies must create a life to penetrate society without arousing suspicion. Argentina then becomes their so-called “breaking-in” country.. By entering separately with false papers at the border of Mexico and Uruguay, they found themselves by “chance” in Buenos Aires. From there, the two spies build their romantic idyll and have two children. They then obtain Argentinian nationality and get married. Now that their false identity is solid, they reach their final destination: Slovenia.
In 2017, this Schengen area country welcomes them with a tourist visa. A strategic choice because the country is at the heart of the European Union and allows them to travel anywhere in Europe without fear of borders. To carry out their mission, Artiom creates a fake IT company And his wife pretends to be the creator of an art gallery online operating throughout Europe. In the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, there is also the headquarters of the European agency that manages the energy market (ACER), which is a key aspect of tensions between Russia and the EU.
4 – The mission
Once “activated”, the two Russian spies had several missions according to Western security services. Artiom and Anna were responsible for collecting information, recruiting future agents and transcribing orders to legal spies, who are more closely monitored. But the two agents of the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence services, were unmasked.
The couple of “illegal” spies communicated with Russia using computers equipped with systems that allowed this communication. Neither Slovenia nor the United States succeeded in trapping them. But February 22, 2022everything changes. When the war in Ukraine breaks out, the family carries out a suspicious round trip from Slovenia to Buenos Aires for passport renewal. This is where the European counter-espionage service sounds the alert against them. From there, the couple was sentenced by the Slovenian courts to one and a half years in prisonindicated the Ljubljana court, a sentence equivalent to the time already spent in detention. The court also ordered their expulsion from the national territory.
“The defendants, who presented themselves under the names Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, pleaded guilty” during a secret hearing and were given a sentence for “espionage and falsification of documents”according to a press release.
5 – The exchange of prisoners
Bouquet in hand, Vladimir Putin waits for Artiom and Anna and their children on the tarmac at Vnukovo airport in Moscow. On Thursday, August 1, the two spies and their children returned to their native land. To the 12-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother, Putin sends a “Good nights“ . The children who only speak Spanish knew nothing of their true origin, thinking that they were Argentinian. In a statement this Friday, August 2, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, indicated that the couple’s two children knew nothing about their parents’ parallel lives. The latter also confirmed their membership in the Russian secret services.
It is the largest prisoner exchange since the fall of the USSR in 1991. Journalists, opponents, spies…twenty-six prisoners were exchanged between Russia and several Western countries this August 1. The Kremlin has recovered 10 Russians including the Doultsev family.
This exchange marks the great return of Russian spies according to the media The Economist who claims in a survey that “Russian spies are back and more dangerous than ever.”