Pregnant Russian Women Seeking Argentinian Citizenship

ARGENTINA – Officials say more than 5,000 pregnant Russian women have entered Argentina in recent months, including 33 on a single flight on Thursday.

The national migration agency says the latest arrivals were all in the final weeks of pregnancy.

Officials say the Russian women who had initially claimed they were visiting Argentina as tourists admitted to wanting their children to have Argentine citizenship because it gave more freedom than a Russian passport.

The number of arrivals has increased recently, which local media suggests is a result of the war in Ukraine.