Russia’s glamorous secret agent returns: What Anna Chapman’s new role says about Putin’s espionage legacy

File Photo - Former Russian spy Anna Chapman speaks as she takes part in a congress of a pro-Kremlin youth group Molodaya Gvardiya (The Young Guard) in Moscow, on December 22, 2010. (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP)

Once known as Russia’s most glamorous secret agent, Anna Chapman has returned to the spotlight after being appointed as the head of the newly established Museum of Russian Intelligence, a project reportedly linked to President Vladimir Putin’s top secret service.

Chapman, who first captured global attention when she was arrested in New York in 2010 for espionage, was later expelled to Russia as part of one of the most dramatic spy swaps since the Cold War. Now, fifteen years later, she is leading a museum dedicated to celebrating the very world she once operated in.

From Anna Kushchenko to Anna Chapman

Born Anna Kushchenko in Volgograd, then Stalingrad, Chapman’s early life hinted at an upbringing steeped in geopolitics. Her father served in the Soviet diplomatic corps, stationed in Kenya during her childhood. She studied economics at the prestigious Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in Moscow.

In 2001, she met British psychology student Alex Chapman at a Moscow nightclub. They married five months later but divorced after four years. Alex once told The Telegraph: “Towards the end of our marriage she became very secretive, going for meetings on her own with ‘Russian friends’.”

In her memoir Bondianna, published last year, Chapman accused Alex of attempting to kill her with a drill. “Something sharp and cold pierced her temple,” reads the opening line of the book.

Former Russian spy Anna Chapman looks on after a meeting of the commission on economic modernization and technological development of the Russian economy at Skolkovo Innovation Centre outside Moscow. (File photo dating back to 2010)

The making of a spy

According to Chapman’s own account, she was recruited into Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence service while living in London. A Moscow-based spy named Kirill reportedly identified her as a promising asset after witnessing her adept networking with Britain’s wealthy elite.

She wrote that Kirill orchestrated a meeting with her on an Aeroflot flight to Moscow to test her patriotism, after which she underwent psychological assessments before being officially recruited. Chapman described herself as a “real-life woman version of James Bond,” adding, “I knew the effect I had on men. Nature had generously endowed me with the necessary attributes: a slim waist, a full chest, a cascade of red hair. All I needed was to emphasise it - which I did with simple yet sexy outfits, light makeup, and an effortless air about me. Most importantly, I didn’t try too hard to please. And it worked like magic.”

Her memoir paints a picture of luxury and espionage intertwined, detailing lavish parties and encounters with influential figures. In one passage, she claimed to have secured a hedge fund job in London after winning a game of strip poker.

A man reads Russian "Tvoi den" ("Your day") newspaper with new Anna Chapman pictures in Moscow on August 27, 2010. AFP PHOTO / DMITRY KOSTYUKOV (Photo by DMITRY KOSTYUKOV / AFP)

The New York chapter and the arrest

In 2009, Chapman moved to New York City, where she mingled with high society while allegedly carrying out intelligence work. She attended charity galas, exclusive events, and used social media platforms like Facebook to infiltrate networks and gather intelligence.

Her cover was blown in June 2010 during the FBI’s Operation Ghost Stories, which uncovered a ring of deep-cover Russian spies. An undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian operative handed Chapman a fake passport, asking her to deliver it to another agent. When she turned the passport over to police, the FBI made its move.

Frank Figliuzzi, then Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, told ABC News that the Russian operatives were close to breaching U.S. policy circles. “They had befriended a friend of a sitting Cabinet official,” he said. “They wanted to get their hands on the most sensitive data they could get their hands on, but we took this thing down before classified information changed hands.”

He added that Chapman represented a new generation of spies: “She was much more than a seductive ‘femme fatale’. She was a new breed of illegal operative -- tech savvy and capable of spying in plain sight.”

Surveillance footage released later showed Chapman transmitting encrypted messages to her handler using a specially modified laptop.

On July 8, 2010, Chapman and nine other agents were swapped in Vienna for four Western prisoners held in Russia. The high-profile exchange marked the climax of a spy story that seemed straight out of a film.

Life after espionage

After her return to Russia, Chapman reinvented herself as a television presenter and public figure. She hosted a weekly TV show and appeared in a men’s magazine photoshoot holding a pistol. Later, she became one of the leaders of the youth wing of Putin’s political party.

Her glamorous image also extended online. On Instagram, she curated a persona that blended patriotism and allure, often posting photos in fur hats or beside horses in snowy Russian landscapes.

It is also reported that she became a mother to a son, though this remains unconfirmed.

Back to the shadows

Now, operating under the name Anna Romanova, Chapman has been appointed to head the Museum of Russian Intelligence, according to The Sun. The museum is reportedly located near Moscow’s Gorky Park within the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the successor to the KGB.

Once operational, the museum is expected to showcase the history and achievements of Russian espionage, including its operations against Western powers.

For Chapman, who has lived several lives as a socialite, spy, and media personality, the new appointment seems almost poetic. From deep-cover agent to curator of her country’s clandestine legacy, Anna Chapman has come full circle.