Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says she acted ethically when a reality TV show remodeled her parents' country home

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova insists that she violated no laws or ethics codes when the NTV reality television show “Dachniy Otvet” built a luxurious veranda at her parents’ country home for an episode earlier this month. Zakharova told The Insider that the Foreign Ministry approved her participation on the TV program, arguing that she appeared on the show “as a daughter,” and not as a state official. She says her family contacted the network, asking to be on the show, after acquiring the real estate outside Moscow.

Transparency International Russia’s Ilya Shumanov, meanwhile, says Zakharova’s part in the show (she is on camera throughout the episode, giving tours of both the Foreign Ministry building and her parents’ country house) could be considered an ethical violation, insofar as NTV is a public broadcaster that works with the Foreign Ministry.