MOSCOW, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Russian spy Anna Chapman has been named head of a new faction within Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's right-wing United Russia party, authorities say.
Chapman -- whose self-promotion includes the publication of nude photographs of her in U.S. and British magazines -- has allied herself with Putin, who made her the head of the Young Guard subdivision within his party, ABC News reported Wednesday.
The Young Guard, highly pro-government, often stages street demonstrations that occasionally turn violent -- as in November, when Russian investigative journalist Oleg Kashin was allegedly beaten for having done an opposition piece on a highway planned to run through a Moscow forest.
Kashin had been criticized by the Young Guard, which posted a picture him on its Web site, accompanied by the warning "Will Be Punished." The organization condemned the attack on Kashin and denied any involvement in it, ABC News said.
