Explained: Why are pregnant Russian women flocking to Argentina amid the Ukraine war?

Birth tourism once again is on the rise. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian women have started flocking to Buenos Aires to give birth in order to obtain Argentinian citizenship for their children. Argentine immigration officials are currently closely monitoring the women as they prepare to tighten their visa requirements, reported Associated Press. According to the report, over 5,000 pregnant women from Russia have entered Argentina in recent months, including 33 on a single flight on Thursday. As per the national migration agency, all the latest arrivals were in the final weeks of pregnancy. Even though a few women were initially turned away at passport control, several eventually managed to enter into the country. Let us understand why Russian women are fleeing the country amid the Ukraine war . Also read: Owner of Russian Wagner Group says war in Ukraine could drag on for years To obtain Argentinian citizenship It is believed that Russian women want to make sure their babies born in Argentina gain Argentinian citizenship. Local media reports suggest that the number of arrivals has dramatically increased recently due to the escalating war in Ukraine, reported BBC. It should be noted here that due to Moscow’s wartime isolation from the west, Russian families wishing to grant their children the benefits of dual citizenship frequently travel to Argentina – where they are not subject to any visa requirements. According to The Guardian, the director of Argentina’s immigration office, Florencia Carignano revealed in a Telenueve channel interview on Friday that over 10,500 expectant Russians have arrived in the South American country in the past year. Carignano said that “5,800 of them were in the last three months, and many of them declaring they were in the 33rd or 34th week of pregnancy.” According to the official, almost 7,000 of the ladies gave birth and then went back to their home countries, leaving Argentine lawyers in charge of helping the parents and infants seek citizenship in their country. Also read: Moscow says calls to ban Russian athletes from Olympics 'unacceptable' An escape from the Ukraine war One of the women who was delayed in the airport was being represented by attorney Christian Rubilar, who said his client was a Russian woman who was 32 weeks pregnant and had travelled to Argentina “escaping from the war,” according to The Guardian. He told the LN+ cable news channel, “In Putin’s government, refusing to go to war is enough for one to go to jail or for members of her family to be transferred to the front lines of fighting.” According to the Argentine daily newspaper La Nacion, the sharp increase in Russian immigration is due to the war in Ukraine. The newspaper added that “besides fleeing war and their country’s health service, (Russian women) are attracted by their (right of) visa-free entry to Argentina, as well as by the high-quality medicine and variety of hospitals”. Russian citizens appear to be engaging in lucrative and well-established “birth tourism” to Argentina. Also read: Russia to showcase its next gen military might at Aero India 2023 More freedom than a Russian passport Carignano told the local newspaper, “In these cases, it was detected that they did not come here to engage in tourism activities. They acknowledged it themselves." She claimed that because it offered greater freedom than a Russian passport, the Russian women desired for their offspring to be citizens of Argentina. Notably, Parental citizenship is also expedited if they have an Argentine child. Russian citizens currently only have access to 87 countries without a visa. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, it has been increasingly challenging for Russians to visit several Western nations. The visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia was halted in September of last year, necessitating more paperwork, longer processing times, and stricter requirements for visa issuance, as per BBC. Additionally, a number of nations, including all of the EU member states that border Russia, have suspended Russian tourist visas. Birth tourism Birth tourism is a business where companies for a steep fee offer foreign women the chance to come to Argentina on a tourist visa, have a baby, get medical care, get citizenship, have a place to stay with their newborn, and then leave, as per AP. It is a lucrative business in both Argentina and other countries. According to BBC, a Russian-language website even offered various packages for pregnant mothers who wish to give birth in Argentina. It advertised various services such as “personalised birth plans, airport pick-ups, Spanish lessons, and discounts on the cost of stays in the best hospitals in the Argentinian capital.” According to the report, the website reads that its founder facilitates birth tourism and offers migration support since 2015. The company adds that it is “100 per cent Argentinian.” Also read: West using chemical weapons watchdog to justify its aggression against Syrian govt: Russia Argentina’s effort to stop birth tourism The issue, according to Carignano, is that they come to Argentina, have their children, and then depart the country permanently. “We don’t have any problem with people from any nationality who want to come live in Argentina, who want to raise their kids here, invest in Argentina. The problem is that these people come, leave and don’t return to Argentina and they leave with a passport,” Carignano said, according to AP. Argentina is a country that has traditionally been open to immigrants, but red flags were raised in immigration offices after three Russian spies were detained in Slovenia with Argentine passports, Carignano said. “These people surely came to have children in Argentina,” she said. According to AP, immigration authorities forbade six pregnant Russian women from entering Argentina this week — three on Wednesday and three on Thursday — saying they had falsely claimed to be tourists, Carignano, told a local news channel. The women arrived unattended, with little money, no return tickets, and were more than 30 weeks pregnant. Negotiations to send them back to their point of origin were in progress, the immigration authorities’ spokesperson said, adding that “they were not under arrest,” according to The Guardian. The judiciary is currently investigating whether there is some sort of criminal organization bringing Russian women to Argentina. Two Russian spies held in Slovenia The rise of ‘birth tourism’ comes barely a month after Slovenian media reported that authorities had detained two alleged Russian spies and this time the reports said one of the two held Argentine citizenship. “If we don’t start to control who we give passports to what’s going to happen to us Argentines is that they’re going to start asking for visas everywhere and the passport will no longer have the trust that it has with other countries,” Carignano said, noting that Argentines can enter 171 countries without a visa. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.