Connery the best Bond, says Russian spy Chapman

Chapman was one of 10 Russian sleeper agents exposed in the United States and deported this summer in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War.

Russians have been waiting for her to speak publicly after months of teasing the media.

The red-haired 28-year-old said on a talk show on state television that she considers the failure of her mission a chance for new opportunities – though she declined to give details on what exactly her mission was.

She has become the new celebrity face of a Moscow bank that works with aerospace industries and joined the leadership of the youth wing of the main pro-Kremlin party. She said she plans to have her own TV show.

Chapman stripped down to lingerie for a photo spread in the Russian edition of Maxim, appearing on the cover of the November issue under the caption “For Your Eyes Only” – the title of a 1981 James Bond movie.

Asked who her favourite James Bond actor is, she named Sean Connery. She also said she admires Angelina Jolie, who played a suspected Russian sleeper agent in this year’s “Salt” – and hinted she has her own action star abilities.

“I’m a very good shot,” Chapman said. “I have a passion for it, and I love going to shooting ranges.”

Wearing a long bright green gown with black stockings and high heels, Chapman smiled as the hosts played images of her reading verses in primary school and attending a ballet class and a gym.

Chapman said she still starts every morning with exercise: “I can’t function normally if I don’t do sports, it’s very important for me.”

Her relatives, friends and school teachers described Chapman as a very sharp and determined child. One of her school friends recalled how she once vowed to marry a British man and move to the United Kingdom – a wish that eventually came true.

Asked by the host what her dream was, she answered that she has been obsessed with having a pet lion cub, even if she can only keep it for three months before it becomes too dangerous.

With that, a lion cub was led into the studio on a leash, and Chapman patted him as the audience sang a patriotic song from a Soviet-era spy film that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once called an inspiration for joining the KGB.

Putin sang the same song when he met the 10 sleeper agents after their deportation. Putin, a KGB veteran, said the spies had been exposed by a fellow intelligence officer. The prime minister received a tiger cub as a birthday present two years ago – an obvious reference for Chapman.

Chapman refused to confirm that she worked for Russian intelligence. She responded to a question about the suspected traitor, saying she doesn’t want to issue a judgement.

“I don’t want to wish anything negative to anyone,” she said. “I’m an absolutely happy person. I very quickly forget negative things which happen to me.”