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Special forces entered through doors and windows. They shot the man he said his name was Ludwig Gesch And moved around Europe with Argentine passport. They went up to the first floor, where they attacked the woman, whom many knew by her fourth and final identity. Maria Rosa Mayer MuñozHe was born in Greece, grew up in Mexico, and obtained Argentine citizenship. This is how the collapse began, three years ago on this day. The “myth” of Russian spies who lived in Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano For ten years.
Even today, Gish and Meyer Monius (indeed, Artem Doltsev and Anna Yudina) Continue generating waves. In Buenos Aires, justice is investigating “local leg” Which allowed them to go unnoticed as Argentines. In Slovenia, the court decided that he had the right to receive 38,929 euros For the remainder of the bankruptcy process of the computer company he founded in that country, Demand management and information technology. That is, if he is able to return to Slovenia, this is something he is prohibited from doing.
And in Buenos Aires, the Federal Public Prosecutor Eduardo Taiano He seeks to determine who was part of the logistical and financial support network that facilitated the infiltration of the Russian couple so they could live in Argentina like the Jesch family. The investigation included Argentine and foreign citizens, according to police reports National Directorate of Criminal Intelligencel (DNIC) of the Ministry of Security and The Public Prosecution Unit specializes in organized crime (Uvico).
Both official reports made this clear The spies received false documents, money, and other supplies This allowed them to move around the city of Buenos Aires and at least seven provinces for years, Without launching official warnings. On the contrary, they settled and spied in the country – focusing on deposits Vaca Muerta and its derivative companies– And they even voted in the 2013 national elections.
And in Slovenia, the bankruptcy administrator, Zoran MastinIt stated that after liquidating assets (including an office in Ljubljana) and paying off debts and legal costs, there was a surplus of €38,929 for Gisch – i.e. Dultsev – as founding partner of DSM & IT. But since the Russian spy does not have a bank account in the country from which he was expelled, The money remained in the nebula. If the agent Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) If you do not claim it within the next three years, the money will go to the Slovenian state.
Moreover, the passage of both spies through Argentina and Slovenia takes on unexpected dimensions, when it intersects with the broadcast of a special Russian television program last September entitled “The secret tango on the knife’s edge”on the channel NTVWhere Russian spies who lived for years in Argentina told their story. They said they had rejoined the Foreign Intelligence Service and stated that they were continuing to train new generations of agents.
“We will continue to help”She confirmed. “We will help the next generation of spies, the generation that succeeds us, to be stronger, more professional and more successful.“, he confirmed during the 47-minute special, excluding commercial breaks, which dealt with the official story about the two foreign intelligence agents and their children. It included details about their training in Russia, their missions in South America and Europe, how they established connections of interest and some peculiarities of their lives as “sleepers” or “explorers.”
“Hello, my name is Ludwig Gesch“He started.”Hello how are things? My name is Maria Mayer.She continued as they smiled at the cameras with some privacy: They both pronounce the letter “ll” like the letter “y,” with the melody and rhythm of Buenos Aires.
From the clear tone of praise, The TV special received Kremlin approvalTo the point that it included the participation of the head of foreign intelligence, Sergey Naryshkin. Their presence reflects that of the Doltsev family, who in turn showered praise and words of gratitude on their bosses and President Vladimir Putin for the way they have behaved since their detention in Slovenia, in December 2022.
As detailed during that special, Doltsev obtained Argentine citizenship using Forged documents under the name Ludwig Gesch, while presenting herself as born in Greece and raised in Mexico, also supported by false papers. They both spoke to the cameras in a Buenos Aires lilt and described how they infiltrated Argentine society to build their façade or, colloquially, “legend“.
In his report, Prosecutor Taiano sought to delve into the support network in Argentina. He detailed the name Three suspects in LAN merger Which supported the Gischs and included names Six Russians who have passed through Argentina in recent years and who, according to DNIC investigations, would be part of Moscow’s military espionage, known by the acronym GRUunlike the Dultsevs, who work in the SVR, dedicated to civilian espionage. Now, the investigation has been left in the hands of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Unit for Organized Crime (UFECO), led by the Public Prosecutor. Santiago Markievicz.
Russian television deleted private data of interest to Argentine researchers. Among other things, how the spies circumvented immigration controls, who provided them with operational documents, how they entered without alerting local intelligence services, and what specific missions they carried out. They stated that they traveled to Russia during a period world Football 2018, which they solved there “Management issues” They took the opportunity to reunite with their families. They also detailed their time in Patagonia, with photos of them in Perito Moreno Glacier With his children.
Many Russian TV specials revolved around children Of the couple, Native Argentines – and thus, the right to obtain Argentine identity documents and passports until their death – even though the Doltsev family identified them as “Russian”.
“We also choose this profession for our children. Because we want our children to have a bright future in Russia. For Russia to remain. We want our country to be strong. Great country. “A sovereign country,” she said, which in just one moment seemed on the verge of collapse in front of the cameras. It was not when she recounted her children’s 19-month stay in an orphanage in Slovenia, but when she recalled that, at Christmas 2023, an envoy from Moscow informed her that Putin had awarded her the Medal of Courage. What did you do? She said, took a notebook from the envoy, and wrote three words: “I serve Russia“.
However, during the “special”, she avoided delving into the plan they had for their children, which she explained in the interview she gave months ago to the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper, also pro-government. “I thought kids would continue in our profession“, he then admitted, with the advantage that his children would no longer have to put up a façade or a “myth” to hide their Russian origin and act as “illegal” spies (or “purists” or “explorers”, in the jargon) because they were already authentic Argentines.
However, if the two spies remained silent about the matter, an NTV journalist took it upon himself to address Sophie (now 12) and Daniel (10).
-What do you want to be when you grow up?
The two answered in unison, in front of their mother’s eyes:
-Explorers.