A RUSSIAN SPARROW: The Story of Anna Chapman

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In 2010, Anna Chapman's name echoed through international corridors when she was captured in the U.S., exposing a covert world of espionage. To grasp the gravity of her story, we embark on a journey back to her early years, where intelligence and intrigue began to weave their threads. Born in Volgograd, Russia, Chapman's formative years set the stage for an unexpected trajectory into the world of espionage.

In this blog post, we delve into Chapman's mysterious life during her pivotal stay in England, a period that laid the groundwork for her enigmatic role as a spy. From there, the narrative unfolds in the United States, where she skillfully navigated the New York elite social scene, leaving a trail that would lead to her captivating arrest. 

EARLY LIFE

Anna Vasilyevna Kushchyenko was born on February 23, 1982, in Volgograd, Russia. Raised in an environment that highly valued education, she displayed intellectual prowess early in life. This upbringing laid the foundation for a trajectory that eventually led her into the clandestine world of intelligence. Her father, Vasily Kushchenko, was rumored to have been a senior KGB official and a diplomat in Zimbabwe at the time of Anna's wedding to her British husband. Perhaps it was her father's background that influenced her decision to pursue a clandestine career?

After completing her schooling, Anna earned a master's degree in economics from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia with first-class honors, showcasing her charm and intelligence. During her educational journey, she traveled between Russia and England, where her ex-husband, Alex Chapman, was based. 

FALLING IN LOVE IN ENGLAND

In 2001, at a London Docklands rave party, Anna crossed paths with Alex Chapman. He was immediately captivated by her, declaring her the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Their whirlwind courtship led to marriage just five months later, in a modest ceremony held in Moscow. The newlyweds embarked on an extended honeymoon to Zimbabwe, where Alex had the opportunity to meet Anna's father. Initially, he found the formidable man disapproving, yet the trip unveiled the close bond between Anna and her father, offering a glimpse that she was more than just an ordinary pretty Russian girl. Alex suspected her ties to wealth and power, given her father's occupation. Alex Chapman recalled that her father travelled in a motorcade more elaborate than other Russian diplomats, with a guard car at the front and another at the back. 

Following their marriage, Anna fully relocated to London post-university, acquiring British citizenship and a passport around 2003 to 2004. In London, she took up positions at Barclays bank and NetJets. As she immersed herself in the party scene, a taste for the high life emerged. Her newfound emphasis on money and status puzzled her husband, who noted the shift from their courtship days. Anna frequently attended events with affluent Russians, excluding her husband. When he expressed interest in joining, she dismissed the idea, citing the use of Russian language as a barrier.

The strain from constant partying and separation culminated in their divorce in 2006. Tragically, reports surfaced in 2015 stating that Alex Chapman had succumbed to a drug overdose at the age of 36.

Anna and Alex Chapman were married after 5 months of meeting 

MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY

For Anna Chapman, the move to America realized a long-cherished dream. Amidst the dazzling lights of New York City, she effortlessly mingled with the affluent and influential, particularly those with potential ties or sway over the government. Her focus primarily rested on lawyers, financiers, and individuals within the banking sector.

She established her own company named PropertyFinder LLC, driven by the concept of sourcing and selling real estate to affluent Russians on an international scale. Anna revealed that the idea struck her while in London, searching for property, yearning for a centralized platform with comprehensive information.

According to her husband, Anna initially disclosed that the company faced financial struggles in its early years. Yet, in a sudden turn of events, she achieved remarkable success, boasting a workforce of up to 50 employees.

In New York, Anna left an indelible mark on the city, characterized as a smart, beautiful, and highly enigmatic young woman who commanded attention wherever she went. Her charisma allowed her to effortlessly connect with everyone she encountered. During this period, reports circulated about her relationship with Michel Bittan, a businessman from New Jersey. However, it was widely acknowledged that Anna relentlessly pursued high-value targets with unwavering determination.

COVERT ENTRAPMENT

The FBI did not have much evidence to charge Anna Chapman with. She could not be charged with using a false identity or false documentation, as she was in the country under her own identity and a true and legal British passport. However, they could charge her with being a non-registered foreign agent if they could prove that she was tied to SVR or the Russian government. 

The FBI had a bright idea to set up a meeting with the beautiful Russian spy and a "handler". She had the habit of sitting a cafe every Wednesday afternoon, typing on her laptop. This was because she was using a closed type of connection with her Russian handler. There was as small device hidden in her Chanel bag that would encrypt and transmit the data straight to her handler, who would drive by the cafe. This way there was no interaction between them and the communication could be kept secret.  

The laptop used by Anna Chapman to communicate with her handler

Anna had some trouble with her laptop, and FBI took full advantage of this. One Wednesday afternoon, they set up a meeting between Anna Chapman and an undercover agent who spoke Russian. Thanks to their mole in SVR, Colonel Aleksandr Nikolayevich Poteyev, they knew all the right passcodes to convince Anna that she was speaking to an SVR senior agent. She was told from the beginning that she should follow all orders given by anyone that knew all the secret phrases that they used between them. 

Poteyev was the Deputy Head of Directorate "S" of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) from 2000–2010. From around 1999, he began working secretly with the CIA, helping to reveal information on the Illegals program that SVR and KGB had been covertly running. It is thanks to him that FBI was able to run Operation Ghost Stories for so long, and find out all the information that they gathered and that led to the eventual arrest of the 10 Russian illegals planted in the United States. 

Anna came reluctantly, she was out of state with one of her boyfriends and the journey back to New York took three hours. At the meeting, the undercover agent handed her a passport and instructed her to drop it off the next day to another illegal. After she completed her mission, Anna was supposed to attach a stamp upside-down on a specific newspaper to signal that the drop went well. Anna also confessed to her "handler" that she had been having some trouble with her laptop connection, and handed the machine to the agent when he offered to have it checked out. 

After the meeting, alarm bells rang in Anna's head. This might have been her intuition or some kind of training she had. However, she called straight away to her father after buying a burner phone from a store in Brooklyn, NYC. Unfortunately, she was a bit careless and threw the receipt in the trash, which FBI was able to retrieve and find out her burner cellphone number and intercept the conversation. 

The FBI listened how she discussed the details of the meeting with her father. First, he said not to panic as it is not confirmed that she had been compromised. Then he also suggested that she goes to a police station and give them the fake passport, as this is what an innocent citizen would do. 

ARREST AND DEPORATION

The next day, on June 27, 2010, Anna Chapman followed her father's advice. She went to the police station and gave the fake passport, feigning cluelessness about it and said that someone gave it to her. This made it very easy for the FBI to entrap her. They were awaiting critical instructions that then-Russian Federation President, Dmitry Medvedev, had left American airspace and was in international airspace. At the time of the arrests, it was a tense situation as the Obama administration was working hard to rebuild ties with Russia. It would not have looked good diplomatically to arrest 10 Russian illegal spies at the same time as the Russian Presidential delegation was on US soil. 

Unbeknownst to Anna Chapman, FBI had infiltrated the police station and set up two agents to pose as police officers. They took Anna to an interview room and started asking her questions about the passport. After that, it was a matter of keeping her there until an arrest was possible. They asked her to go in detail over the incident, and then another officer came and she was asked to repeat. Then, she was shown some mug shots and asked to identify if she saw the perpetrator. They used a very slow computer and showed her hundreds of pictures. The whole process took over five hours, but the young Russian wanted to be cooperative, so she complied.

After the confirmation came that the Russian presidential plane was in international airspace, the other FBI agents showed up, handcuffed and arrested Anna Chapman officially. 

LIFE IN RUSSIA AS A CELEBRITY

Following her arrest, Anna Chapman found herself infuriated by the sensationalized press coverage she was subjected to. Her ex-husband, Alex Chapman, fueled the media storm with interviews divulging intimate details about their past, while leaked nude pictures added to the frenzy. Anna vocalized her discontent vehemently during the airplane journey to Vienna, where the exchange between the 10 Russian spies and the four Russians to be exchanged would take place.

Surprisingly, the intense media scrutiny had a silver lining for Anna—it elevated her international and domestic profile. In December 2010, she secured a position on the public council of Young Guard of United Russia. Just a month later, she transitioned into television hosting with her own show, "Secrets of the World" on REN TV. Within a few months, she assumed the role of editor at Venture Business News magazine.

Adding to her newfound prominence, Anna featured in a Maxim spread, the Russian equivalent of Playboy, posing in lingerie with a gun. Invitations to Moscow Fashion Week further solidified her status.

Despite her media engagements, Anna Chapman also played a role in the closed trial in absentia for Poteyev, held in Moscow from May to June 2011. During her testimony, she claimed that the FBI utilized specific code words known only to her handler and Poteyev, providing evidence of the leak by the senior ex-KGB agent. 

The magazine cover of Maxim featuring Anna Chapman 
CONCLUSION

To conclude, Anna Chapman's journey, transitioning from the covert world of espionage to the limelight, is a captivating saga. Delving into her formative years, the time spent in England and America, her arrest, and subsequent life in Russia, offers profound insights into the intricate dynamics of international espionage. Chapman's narrative endures as a compelling chapter in espionage history, inviting reflection on the nuanced interplay between secrecy and public visibility. 

From her upbringing in Russia to her high-profile exploits in the West, and ultimately her return to a prominent role in Russian society, Anna Chapman's trajectory is a testament to the multifaceted nature of her espionage career.

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