Anna Vasil’yevna Kushchenko aka Anna Chapman

Illegal or illegal-lite? You knew this one was coming...

Anna Chapman’s name captured worldwide attention in 2010, when she and several others were taken into custody in the United States under suspicion of being covert Russian agents as part of Operation GHOST STORIES. In the aftermath, she became something of a celebrity in Russia, known for a media presence that overshadowed most spy stories of the modern era. Her life combined espionage, international travel, personal reinvention, and sensational headlines. What follows is an extensive overview of Chapman’s path, beginning with her family background, continuing with her experiences in the United Kingdom and the United States, and culminating in the operation by the FBI that put an end to her clandestine mission. This narrative, drawn from multiple sources, aims to provide a measured account of her story, separating the verifiable from the speculative.