Russian Spy Anna Chapman Poses For Maxim Magazine

Sexy spy Anna Chapman has stripped off for a cover spread in the  Russian edition of Maxim, striking a number of James Bond-style poses in her latest stunt since she left the United States, the men's magazine.

The publication of the pictures - which show Chapman sporting G-strings and wielding a pistol - comes after President Dmitry Medvedev bestowed top state honors on the spies in the espionage scandal that brought her global stardom.

Chapman's antics since being deported from the United States in July along with nine other Russian spies have by any standards been unusual for an employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

They have included a (fully clothed) photo-shoot for a Russian celebrity magazine and her mysterious resurfacing at Baikonur cosmodrome earlier this month to watch Russian and U.S. astronauts blast off into space.

Maxim posted the new pictures in a trailer on its website, promising more images and Chapman's first interview since her exposure when the magazine is published on Thursday.

In images which are anything but subtle, Chapman is pictured as the ultimate femme fatale with her gun, elbow-length black gloves and skimpy red lingerie which leaves very little to the imagination.

"No, you are not dreaming and your eyes do not deceive you. The red-haired spy has not only stripped off for Maxim but has broken her vow of silence, talking about men, flirting and plans for life," it gushed.

"Anna has done more to arouse patriotism in Russians than our football team and the Bulava missile put together," it claimed.

Russia's national soccer team has been through a thin period while the army's new Bulava nuclear-capable missile has misfired several times in testing.

"These are our heroes: a team that plays so-so, a rocket that fires so-so and a spy who crashed and burned," the Echo of Moscow radio station joked. "At least she looks good in black knickers with a bow and a pistol."

Chapman has also opened her own website ( www.annachapman.ru ), with a Soviet-style red star logo, although so far it does not have any content.

In another commercial venture, she posed for an iPhone application, launched earlier this month, which promises a game of poker with the "Russian Bond girl" and "hot" photographs.

Chapman posted a video ad for the application on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

Medvedev on Monday gave top state honors to the spies involved in the espionage scandal at a ceremony in the Kremlin, his spokeswoman said. No further details were given and it was not clear if Chapman was among them.

The group of 10 spies, many of whom had been working for years undercover in the United States as sleeper agents, returned to Russia in a sensational spy swap that saw Moscow send four Russian convicts to the West.

The spies received a heroes' welcome and even sang patriotic songs with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, but former intelligence agents went on the record to denounce their outdated spycraft.

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