"
It's crazy, there were at least eight pregnant Russian women waiting in front of me
."
Polina, a Russian jewelry designer who lived in Moscow before the war in Ukraine, was overwhelmed when she arrived at the maternity ward of the Sanatorio Finochietto hospital in Buenos Aires, faced with the number of Russians who showed up at the Argentinian hospital.
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And for good reason: since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Argentina has experienced a boom in tourism of Russian births, as
The Guardian
explains in an article of January 3, 2023. In a Russia isolated from the West because of the war, Argentina, where the Russians are not subject to the need to present a visa, seems very attractive.
The South American country then becomes a privileged destination for granting the children of Russian couples the privilege of a second citizenship under the jus soli.
Nearly 2,500 Russians would have arrived in Argentina in 2022
And all the more so since the agreement for a residence permit in Argentina is relatively simple to obtain.
The Argentine passport also allows its holders to make short trips to 171 countries without a visa, including the EU, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Conversely, visa-free travel by Russians outside the country's borders, which was already relatively limited before the war in Ukraine, was considerably reduced following the invasion.
The queues for visas are now endless in Western consulates in Russia.
Georgy Polin, head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Argentina, explained to the British daily that between 2,000 and 2,500 Russians have left their country for Argentina this year, the majority of whom are pregnant women.
The South American country is also privileged for the quality of its private and public care.
In response to this increase in demand, agencies offering administrative or linguistic support to these new types of tourists are multiplying throughout Argentina.
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Polina, who discovered she was pregnant soon after the invasion began in Ukraine, now plans to stay in Argentina with her husband.
She would like Argentinian nationality for her and her husband, a procedure simplified by the fact that their granddaughter is Argentinian.
Argentina has had a tradition of welcoming Russian migrants since the 19th century.
Pregnant women, intellectuals, Russian start-ups: all elect Argentina as a new land of welcome, while the South American country has been cautious in its condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
