From Russia With Love: Taking Care of Ex-Spies

When 10 members of the Russian spy ring busted in June were returned to Russia two weeks later in a spy swap, some wondered what people trained to blend into American suburban life could do back in a Russia.

Apparently there was no need for concern.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised to take care of them, and it seems he intends to make good on that. Already a second of these former spies has been appointed to a high-level position in a government-run business, according to reports.

The 10 were exchanged on July 9 in Vienna for four men convicted in Russia of spying for the U.S. Shortly after the spies' arrival in Russia, Putin celebrated their return, singing a patriotic song (which he reprised at a recent charity event after his much-viewed rendition of "Blueberry Hill").

In October, the former agents were received by President Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin and decorated for their service at a special ceremony. Medvedev called them "talented adventurers" and has repeated -- Putin has asserted the same -- that their arrests were the result of a betrayal, a claim that was apparently confirmed last month.

Meanwhile, Putin began to make good on his promise that they would have "bright and interesting futures." The first beneficiary may have been the spy the press has followed most fervently: Anna Chapman. She was tagged in the "sexy Russian spy" role, leading to a wildly popular Facebook page, magazine photo spreads and a potential film career.

And in October, she was hired by FondServisBank as an adviser to its president, Aleksandr Volovnik.

The bank's website, moreover, announced that it was determined to make her feel at home, giving her flexible working hours and permitting her to continue all her other projects.

Chapman has a master's degree in economics and worked briefly at Barclay's Bank and ran a real estate business in New York. But her modest financial background does not appear to provide an obvious logic for the hiring.

This week, a leading Russian newspaper reports that a second member of the group, Andrei Bezrukov, has been marked for a similar position at an even more important institution. Bezrukov is being appointed as an adviser to Eduard Khudainatov, the president of Russia's largest oil concern, Rosneft. He is said to be advising the company on international projects.

Bezrukov's business background appears more solid than Chapman's, but it is unclear how it would justify this position. Under the name of Donald Howard Heathfield, Bezrukov apparently received an MBA from ENPC in Paris in 1997 and then a "mid-life" MBA in public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School in 2000.

In Boston, he worked as a consultant at Global Partners and then in his own business. According to the FBI report, "Heathfield" contacted U.S. government officials and attempted to extract information from them regarding atomic weaponry programs.

A Kremlin source told Kommersant that Bezrukov was likely to be hired by Rosneft, largely because the 10 deported spies are not considered to be at fault for the failure of their espionage mission. Rosneft declined to comment on the situation.

The oil company has been organizing an international affairs department, which has not yet been assigned a chief officer. Kommersant's sources are conflicted as to whether Bezrukov's advisory post is permanent or merely preparation for promotion to that highly prominent position.

These developments may be intended to assure Russian intelligence agents worldwide that the risks they take are appreciated and that they will be supported by the Russian government in the event of a crisis like the one that struck this group in this summer.