Russia’s state-TV Channel One program, hosted by Andrey Malakhov, has aired a revealing special about Maria Butina, including interviews with her parents, relatives, and friends.

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In point of fact, Russian state media seems to be preparing the public for upcoming revelations of a sexual nature, openly comparing Maria Butina with Anna Chapman, who was arrested along with nine other agents in 2010, all of whom were exchanged for four spies held by Moscow. (Among them was Sergei Skripal, subsequently the object of an alleged Russian assassination attempt.)

The thrust of the Russian coverage seems to be that Butina fancied herself a spy and seductress without actually being one, but her parents’ evasive answers were not much help building that case.

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Channel One host Malakhov asked Maria Butina’s father about his daughter’s means of support in America. Valery Butin reluctantly admitted: “She had influential acquaintances who recognized her abilities and were helping her financially.” Butin deflected additional questions about the identities of his daughter’s “influential” supporters

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A cursory look into Butina’s room in her parents’ apartment suggests a family of modest means, raising questions about whether anonymous benefactors provided the funding for the seven furniture stores she owned prior to her American travels. Responding to questions about the source of funds for his daughter’s entrepreneurial ventures, Butina’s father said, “She is a skilled organizer.”

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Valery Butin showed off the high marks his daughter received during her American studies, revealing that some of the courses included International Affairs, International Politics, Cybersecurity, Terrorism, and Espionage.