![]() For that a – presumably expendable – male reporter was dispatched, leaving Chapman to pop up on the screen every now and then in an eye-catching red and black outfit. Not that Chapman actually visited the volatile region, home to more than 50% of terrorist attacks in Russia in 2010. In the first episode Chapman looked into claims that verses from the Koran had been appearing on the skin of a young boy from Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan. "The most mysterious woman in Russia presents the most mysterious show," the programme's producer Mikhail Tukmachev promised in promo ads. This turned out to be her catchphrase as presenter of Mysteries of the World with Anna Chapman, a weekly "investigative" show that launched in January. "Watch your screens next year," she advised viewers. When asked about her deportation from the US, she replied: "I believe that everything that happens is for the best." She did, however, drop a hint about a possible new television role. "She is worthy of applause because she worked abroad for our nation," a celebrity guest – Soviet-era TV star Anna Shatilova – exclaimed.Ĭhapman didn't give much away during the show, sticking to cliché and aphorism for the most part. During the hour-long programme, Chapman's childhood friends, grandmother and "first love" were all rolled out to pay tribute, and Chapman had the good grace to blush a red as deep as her hair. "I have to say, you look even better than in your photos," the host enthused. The programme kicked off with shaky home-video footage of the spy-to-be as a Soviet schoolgirl reciting poetry and giggling into the camera before Chapman herself, dressed in a figure-hugging green outfit, strode into the studio to warm applause from the audience. Over New Year, the Channel One TV station ran a This is Your Life-style tribute to Chapman, described by the host as "without any exaggeration, the woman of the year". In an Orwellian feat of reinterpretation, dominant state-run media outlets have portrayed the Chapman saga as a feelgood story, her life held up as something to be envied, aspired to. Is Chapman's unlikely fame an indication of a startling new Russian mindset? Not quite. ![]() Unlike Britain, with its traditional fondness for incompetence, Russia has never been known for its willingness to celebrate defeat. And the 10, they've been here a long time, but they hadn't done much." As US vice president Joe Biden put it: "We got back four really good ones. Chapman and the other nine agents were exchanged for just four American spies. Prosecutors instead had to settle for charges of "failure to declare foreign agent status" and money laundering. Espionage charges were not brought against a single member of the spy ring, as there was no indication that any classified information had been accessed. Not only was she duped by the FBI into blowing her cover, but she apparently failed to turn up any useful information for Moscow. The irony is, of course, that Anna Chapman is being rewarded for doing her job badly. The 29-year-old provincial Russian also has a Max Clifford-type agent to handle "commercial projects", which include highly paid interviews and photo shoots. On top of all this, she has registered her surname as a trademark has brought out a poker app and a slew of Chapman-own products, including perfume, watches and vodka, is expected to hit the shops soon. She did, however, turn down a role in a porn film, despite being offered a "substantial" fee by the Vivid Entertainment adult-film company.Ĭhapman has also been made the face of the ruling United Russia party's youth movement and has been tipped to win a seat in parliament in upcoming elections. ![]() She was awarded a top state honour by President Dmitry Medvedev, posed for erotic – and lucrative – photos for men's magazines, and was handed her own primetime TV show. After that cosy night out, things moved fast for Chapman. ![]() And while a number of her former colleagues have reportedly been rewarded with cushy posts at state-run companies, it is Chapman's star that has risen by far the highest.Ī month after their deportation, Putin joined up with the failed spies for a karaoke-type evening, where they crooned together the Soviet-era song – and unofficial Russian intelligence service anthem – "From Where the Motherland Begins". "Every single one of these people has gone through a difficult time… in the interests of their homeland," said Putin, the ex-KGB officer.
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