Russian investigators have raided the Moscow dwelling of Ksenia Sobchak – the daughter of Vladimir Putin’s former boss and mentor.
Ms Sobchak, 40, made her title as a socialite and actuality tv star and was often known as the ‘Russian Paris Hilton’ earlier than turning into a TV journalist and opposition activist.
She is the daughter of the late Anatoly Sobchak, the primary democratically elected mayor of St Petersburg, the place Mr Putin served as a deputy within the Nineteen Nineties.
Ms Sobchak has develop into a vocal critic of the Russian president – working within the 2018 elections as an opposition candidate – however solely securing fourth place and 1.7% of the vote.
Jailed opposition chief Alexei Navalny claims she ran in a bid to make the competition look extra democratic – and described her as a “parody liberal candidate”.
According to the Russian information businesses Tass and RIA-Novosti, police raided Ms Sobchak’s luxurious dwelling within the Moscow suburbs in reference to their investigation into alleged wrongdoing by her media director.
Kirill Sukhanov has been arrested on extortion prices, which he denies.
Ms Sobchak has rejected the accusations towards Mr Sukhanov as “ravings and nonsense” and stated his arrest was a part of authorities’ efforts to stifle unbiased media.
9.4 million Instagram followers
Her whereabouts are nonetheless unknown.
Russian state media claims she purchased airplane tickets to Dubai and Turkey to mislead authorities however really left Russia through Belarus as a way to get to Lithuania.
She has 9.4 million followers on Instagram and first turned concerned in politics throughout the 2011-12 Moscow protests towards Mr Putin.
Ms Sobchak then reinvented herself as a severe broadcaster and opposition activist.
Her father died of an obvious coronary heart assault in February 2000 – when Mr Putin was appearing Russian president.
Source: information.sky.com”