Anna Chapman: Russia’s most glamorous secret agent 

October 24, 2025

Anna Chapman, once dubbed Russia’s most glamorous secret agent, is back in the headlines after being appointed head of the newly established Museum of Russian Intelligence. The former spy, whose arrest in New York in 2010 triggered an international scandal and a dramatic Cold War-style spy swap, now takes on a role closely tied to Russia’s top intelligence service.

Born Anna Kushchenko in Volgograd, then Stalingrad, Chapman was raised in a diplomatic family. Her father served in the Soviet Union’s diplomatic corps, stationed at the Kenyan embassy during her childhood. She later attended the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in Moscow, where she earned a degree in economics.

In 2001, she met Alex Chapman, a British psychology student, in a Moscow nightclub. They married five months later, but the relationship ended in divorce after four years. Alex later told The Telegraph that Anna became secretive toward the end of their marriage, often meeting “Russian friends” alone. In contrast, Chapman’s memoir, Bondianna, released in 2024, accuses her ex-husband of attempting to harm her.

In her book, Chapman recounts being recruited by Russia’s foreign intelligence service while living in London. A fellow spy named Kirill first approached her after observing her ability to network with Britain’s elite. After several psychological tests, she was officially recruited. Describing herself as a “real-life woman version of James Bond,” she wrote about using charm and confidence to influence people, coupled with what she called her “natural attributes” and “effortless” allure.

Her memoir paints a picture of a fast-paced life filled with luxury, high-profile encounters, and intrigue. One anecdote describes how she secured a job at a London hedge fund after winning a game of strip poker.

By 2009, Chapman had relocated to New York City, where she pursued business ventures and mingled with high society. Her activities soon caught the attention of the FBI, which was running Operation Ghost Stories, a decade-long investigation into a network of Russian sleeper agents living under false identities in the United States.

On June 26, 2010, Chapman was arrested after meeting an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian operative. The agent, who introduced himself as Roman, handed her a fake U.S. passport and instructed her to deliver it to another spy. Instead, Chapman turned the passport over to New York police, leading to her arrest and the unravelling of the spy ring.

FBI officials later described her as part of a new generation of Russian operatives — fluent in technology, active on social media, and able to blend easily into Western society. Surveillance footage released after her arrest showed Chapman sending encrypted messages to handlers using a specially configured laptop.

In July 2010, the United States and Russia conducted one of the most dramatic spy swaps since the Cold War. Chapman and nine other Russian agents were exchanged for four Western spies held in Russia. The swap took place on the tarmac of Vienna International Airport, under the glare of cameras.

Upon returning to Russia, Chapman quickly reinvented herself. She hosted a television show, appeared in a men’s magazine photoshoot, and became involved with the youth wing of President Vladimir Putin’s political party. She maintained a high public profile, often appearing at events and cultivating a glamorous online persona through her social media accounts. Reports also surfaced that she had given birth to a son, though she has never confirmed this publicly.

Now, Chapman—who reportedly goes by the name Anna Romanova—has taken on a new role. According to The Sun, she has been appointed to head the Museum of Russian Intelligence, a project registered near Gorky Park in Moscow, at the press office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The SVR, Russia’s external spy agency, is the successor to the KGB and the organization that once employed her.

The museum aims to chronicle the history and achievements of Russian espionage, highlighting key intelligence operations and the role of spies in shaping national security strategy. For Chapman, whose life has blurred the lines between glamour and secrecy, it appears to be a fitting return to the world that made her one of the most recognizable faces of modern espionage.