Vladimir Putin would have given the green light to a new recruitment campaign, one that targets not only intelligence but also the personal charm of future agents.
According to The Sun, universities in Russia are seeking young women capable of becoming successors to the famous Anna Chapman, who was arrested in the United States in 2010 following a spy scandal that went around the world. The recruitment would be coordinated by female agents of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, who go directly to campuses to select candidates.
At the State University of Novosibirsk, students were reportedly summoned to mandatory meetings, where they were allegedly told that even drug use does not pose a barrier to a career in espionage — a statement that raises many questions. The Sun publication notes that they are looking for individuals capable of “obtaining relevant information, analyzing it, and presenting it effectively.”
Similar messages were also sent to the State University of Saint Petersburg, an institution where Putin himself studied. There, an agent identified as Tamara Netiksa reportedly stated bluntly: “We need well-prepared young people, but especially girls.”
A heavy name in the world of espionage, Elena Vavilova, would have explained to students that the real performance in this field is not about gadgets or technology, but about the ability to gain the trust of the target. Under the false identity Tracy Ann Foley, she operated for years in Canada and the USA, until the network was dismantled following the arrest of Anna Chapman by the FBI.
Chapman herself later became an almost worldly figure in Russia. In interviews, she admitted that she was recruited due to her ability to penetrate influential circles and attract the attention of wealthy men. “I knew the effect I had on them,” she said, suggesting that personal charm was one of her main “weapons”.
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