Sweet rewards of failed espionage

Anna Chapman has enjoyed celebrity status since her cover was blown. Photo / Supplied

Anna Chapman, the "sultry Russian secret agent" who hit the headlines last year after being exposed as a deep-cover operative in the United States, says she bears no ill will towards the man who betrayed her.

And why should she? Since being freed as part of a dramatic spy swap deal in Vienna in July 2010, the flame-haired daughter of a Russian career diplomat has rarely been out of the limelight, taking up lucrative job offers and positioning herself for a move into big-time politics.

"It was the start of something great and beautiful," Chapman gushed on a recent Russian TV show. Or, as she puts it on her website: "The day I returned to Moscow was my second birthday."

It wasn't hard to predict only good things awaited Chapman once she was safely back in Russia. The country's all-powerful premier, Vladimir Putin, had said Chapman and her former comrades would "work in worthy places"and have "bright, interesting lives".

"Every single one of these people has gone through a difficult time ... in the interests of their homeland," said Putin, the ex-KGB officer. 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.

A 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.

After that cosy night out, things moved fast for the 29-year-old provincial Russian. Chapman was awarded a top state honour by President Dmitry Medvedev, posed for lucrative erotic photos for men's magazines, and was handed her own primetime TV show.

Chapman 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.

The irony is, of course, Anna Chapman is being rewarded for doing her job badly. Not only was she duped by the FBI into blowing her cover, but she failed to turn up any useful information for Moscow. Espionage charges were not brought against a single member of the spy ring, as there was no indication any classified information had been accessed.

In an Orwellian feat of reinterpretation, dominant state-run media outlets have portrayed the Chapman saga as a feelgood story. 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". Chapman didn't give much away during the show. "Watch your screens next year," she advised viewers. "I'll reveal all the secrets."

This turned out to be her catchphrase as presenter of Mysteries of the World with Anna Chapman, a weekly "investigative" show launched in January.

In the first episode Chapman looked into claims verses from the Koran had been appearing on the skin of a young boy from Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan.

Not that Chapman actually visited the volatile region, home to more than 50 per cent of terrorist attacks in Russia in 2010. For that a - presumably expendable - male reporter was dispatched, leaving Chapman to appear on screen in an eye-catching outfit. But why did the show's glamorous presenter not get out and about and try to uncover the truth herself? "Well, she can't do everything," one of the show's presenters said.

And yet, not content with the world of show business, Chapman is also carving out a career as a politician. In late 2010 she joined the leadership of Molodaya Gvardiya (Young Guard), the youth wing of Putin's United Russia. The movement is viewed as a potential Kremlin weapon against the "orange scenario", a reference to the street protest-inspired revolution that swept pro-western politician Viktor Yushchenko to power in neighbouring Ukraine in 2004. Moscow remains nervous about the possibility of an Egypt-style uprising.

Chapman may not be confined to youth politics for long. United Russia has pencilled her to stand and win in December's parliamentary polls in her hometown of Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad.

But despite her ubiquity, it's arguable whether Chapman is popular among ordinary Russians. It's the internet where people's true feelings find a voice. And Russia's assorted bloggers seem to be unequivocal in their disdain.

"Citizen of the world Anna Chapman is undoubtedly the major hero of our vast country," writes one user on Live Journal - Russia's most popular blogging platform. "We all also dream of dropping our knickers abroad and stealing enemy secrets."

It can seem Chapman has been thrust upon the Russians. But it's not so easy to fathom why. Is she simply a sharp operator or is she being manipulated by the powers that be? For now Chapman is giving nothing away. Not for free, anyhow.

Anna Inc

Exposed spy Anna Chapman has

* registered her surname as a trademark

* brought out a poker app and Chapman-owned products, including perfume, watches and vodka, are expected to hit the shops soon.

* has a top agent to handle "commercial projects", which include highly paid interviews and photo shoots.

- OBSERVER