What’s Putin’s glamorous Russian spy's new mission from Moscow?

Once infamous for her role as a Russian spy in the United States, Anna Chapman is now taking on a very different role: leading Russia’s newly established Museum of Russian Intelligence.

Chapman, who was deported from the US in 2010 after being caught in an FBI sting operation, will oversee a museum dedicated to showcasing the history and achievements of Russian espionage.

The museum is closely connected to the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Russia’s foreign spy agency and is located near Moscow’s Gorky Park, inside the SVR’s press office, reports The Sun.

Under the guidance of Sergey Naryshkin, the current SVR chief and a trusted ally of President Vladimir Putin, the museum aims to honour the legacy of Russia’s spies and celebrate their contributions.

Chapman’s story reads like a spy thriller.

In 2010, she was arrested in New York as part of a Russian sleeper cell uncovered during the FBI’s Operation Ghost Stories. For years, Chapman and her co-conspirators lived undercover in the US, gathering intelligence. Chapman had posed as a real estate agent in Manhattan but was secretly setting up encrypted communications with Russian officials. She was arrested along with nine others and later deported to Russia in a high-profile spy swap that freed several Russian agents imprisoned in the West—including Sergei Skripal, the former double agent later poisoned in the UK.

Before her arrest, Chapman lived in London, where she mingled with politicians, business leaders, and high society, using her charm to build connections.

She even gained British citizenship through her marriage to Alex Chapman—a relationship that ended amid scandal, including accusations of violence.

In her 2022 memoir, BondiAnna: To Russia with Love, she described herself as a “female 007,” using her looks and charisma to win over influential men and secure her position.

Since returning to Russia, Chapman has reinvented herself as a businesswoman, TV host and social media personality. She is a vocal supporter of Putin and has become a symbol of Russian patriotism, promoting traditional values while celebrating the country’s intelligence services.

Now 43 and known publicly as Anna Romanova, she continues to shape her public image as both a mother and a prominent figure in Russia’s national pride.