November 09, 2017


Her father mentored Putin. She made it big as a socialite and reality TV star. Now Ksenia Sobchak, self-styled opposition stalwart, wants to replace President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
"I think I can really make people go and vote against the system -- voting for Ksenia Sobchak," she told CNN's Christiane Amanpour from Moscow.
She's described in the media as Russia's Paris Hilton, and penned a book titled "How to Marry a Millionaire," but rejects the comparison to Hilton out of hand: Paris Hilton, for one, has never had her house raided by the authorities, she said.
Her opposition bona fides are not totally lacking. She told Amanpour that starting with participating in massive opposition protests in 2011 and 2012 -- her "fight against the regime" -- she gained legitimacy.
Russia's most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who himself has been barred from running, nonetheless has choice words for Sobchak.
Her candidacy, Navalny said, according to Reuters, is a "fairly loathsome Kremlin game that goes by the title of: 'Let's put a liberal laughingstock up for the elections in order to distract attention.'"
An embezzlement charge against Navalny has kept him from running for president; he says that charge is politically motivated, and intended to prevent him from running. Sobchak has pledged to step aside if Navalny is allowed to run.
Sobchak told Amanpour that she wants to "make a huge democratic coalition," and pointed out that Navalny made those comments before she declared her candidacy.
"I spoke with Navalny and I hope he will agree with me," she said. "What is our second option? Just stay at home and don't go to the election? It's not an option."

'Russia is responsible'
Many of her ideas are indeed antithetical to President Putin's.
For example, she told Amanpour that Russia is at fault for bad relations with the United States.
"Crimea is Ukrainian by international law," she said. Putin, who annexed the peninsula, believes a 2014 vote orchestrated by Moscow legitimized his move.

'I don't need anyone's approval'
The doubt cast on her candidacy stems not only from the fact that her father, Anatoly Sobchak, as mayor of Saint Petersburg, mentored Vladimir Putin and brought him from the KGB into politics.
Sobchak also told Putin, personally, of her decision to run before formally announcing, and has generally stopped short of attacking Putin personally.
"I don't need anyone's approval for going to elections," she insisted, explaining that she happened to be interviewing Putin for a documentary she is doing on her father, and decided to bring up her candidacy.
"I found it's appropriate to say face to face that I will challenge Putin on these elections. But I don't need any admittance or I don't need to ask about this."
In a 2012 interview, Sobchak told Amanpour she was "not against Putin."
"I'm against [the] system," she said at the time. "And I don't think that Putin and system are all the same."
Navalny is far from her only critic.
Her participation in those protests of 2011-12 was at the urging of the writer Oleg Kashin, according to his version of events. He thought that, as a celebrity, she would "attract her fans to the protest."
Now, Kashin says, Sobchak has become a stooge used by the Kremlin to legitimize next March's presidential election. Putin has not yet declared his candidacy, but opinion polls suggest he would win easily.
Putin "sees no glory in defeating the usual run of puppet buffoons," Kashin wrote recently in The New York Times. "That's why the Kremlin seeks fresh faces each time. ... The fresh face this time will be Ms. Sobchak."
"Thank you for the compliment about the fresh face," Sobchak responded. "Because I really believe that Russia needs a fresh face, a new generation, to be seen on the political stage."
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.