Anna Chapman joins Putin for spy singalong

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has made the astonishing revelation that he has met up with Anna Chapman and other members of her US-based espionage ring for a bizarre 'spy singalong'. On a heavier note, he also said that the ten undercover agents, who were deported from the United States earlier this month, had been turned in by "traitors" who would most probably end up "lying in a ditch".

Putin told local journalists during a visit to the Ukraine yesterday that he met up with the spies to “talk about life” and joined them in a rousing rendition of a popular song from a 1960s film about a Soviet agent working in Nazi Germany.

The song, From Where the Motherland Begins, was featured in the 1968 movie Sword and Shield and was much-loved by Soviet intelligence officers. Crucially, Putin added, the singalong “wasn’t karaoke, we sang to live music”.

None of the deported agents has been seen in public since arriving back in Russia, though state media have reported that they are undergoing a lengthy debriefing session at a secret government location.

Putin, a former KGB colonel who headed its successor, the FSB, gave no clues as to where or when he met with the agents. He confirmed, however, that they did include Anna Chapman, the 28-year-old businesswoman who became a tabloid sensation thanks to her nude photos and party-going lifestyle.

Putin also praised the spies, stressing how dangerous and difficult their lives had been. "They had to carry out a task to benefit their motherland's interests for many, many years without diplomatic cover, risking themselves and those close to them," he added.

He also claimed to know who betrayed the agents. "It was the result of treason," he said, adding ominously: "Things always end badly for traitors. They usually end up in the gutter, from alcohol or drugs." As The First Post reported earlier this month, Russia's intelligence services suspect there is a double agent among the 10 spies.

The Russian PM also spent yesterday taking part in a bikers' rally in the city of Sevastapol, where he rode a three-wheeled Harley Davidson (pictured above). He told the crowd that the motorbike is "the most democratic form of transport". ·