The case known as the "Russian sect in Bariloche" has taken a new turn, after Elena Makarova, the only alleged victim in the case, sent a letter to President Javier Milei asking for his intervention. In the document, she stated that she suffered "humiliation and mistreatment incompatible with a state of law" during her time in Argentina. Makarova explained that she came to the country escaping domestic violence and seeking a safe environment to give birth to her son, Miroslav. Not speaking Spanish, she relied exclusively on Nadezhda Belyakova (Angelina) and Svetlana Komkova, a translator residing in Brazil. "They were my only support and guidance," wrote the young woman, who claims that "both were unjustly accused after the birth." According to her testimony, her nightmare began in the Bariloche hospital, where she was subjected to medical procedures without her consent, including "a forced induction of labor" that she had repeatedly rejected. She also stated that she was pressured to reveal the identity of the father under veiled threats that she would not be allowed to take her baby out of the hospital. After the birth, she claimed her phone, documents, and separation from her companions were confiscated. The young woman also recounted that she was transferred to a shelter where she lived under surveillance, without freedom of movement and without basic conditions for her and her newborn. She indicated that her son was given four vaccines in one day "without sufficient supervision," which—according to her—had negative consequences for his health. In her letter to President Milei, she demanded: "It was not protection: it was deprivation of freedom disguised as assistance." Makarova stated that her case is not isolated but is part of what she describes as "a systemic problem." In her letter, she noted that "21 Russian citizens remain detained in Argentina without the possibility of leaving the country and without access to their documents." Makarova, who currently resides in Russia with her son, assured that her request does not seek personal benefits.
