Product Code Database
Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak (, ; born 5 November 1981) is a Russian television host and politician. She is the younger daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg and one of Vladimir Putin's mentors, and Senator Lyudmila Narusova. Sobchak became known to the wider public as the host of the TNT reality show Dom-2. She later became an anchor at the independent television channel TV Rain. Sobchak was the Civic Initiative's candidate for the 2018 Russian presidential election. As of January 2023, she hosts the television show Dok-Tok with Alexander Gordon.
As a child, Sobchak attended the ballet school attached to the Mariinsky Theatre. She also attended the Hermitage Museum art school. In 1998, Sobchak left the school attached to Herzen University, and enrolled at the Saint Petersburg State University (Department of International Relations). In 2001, Sobchak moved to Moscow and enrolled in the International Relations program at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
From 2008 to 2010, Sobchak was a host of the reality shows Who does NOT want to be a millionaire?, Last Hero-6, and Sweet life of a blonde, Muz-TV Awards, and Two stars.
In 2010, Sobchak became a host of the TV program Freedom of Thought on the state-run Channel 5. She soon left the program, since, according to her, it turned into a never-ending discussion of public utilities maintenance.
Since 2011, Sobchak has hosted the program Sobchak Live on the independent channel TV Rain and Top Model po-russki on Muz-TV.
In 2012, she appeared in the television series Brief Guide To A Happy Life.
On 7 September 2012, MTV Russia launched a talk-show GosDep (State Department) with Ksenia Sobchak. The show aimed to cover hot social and political issues. The first episode of the show, titled "Where is Putin leading us?" featured interviews with the head of Left Front Sergei Udaltsov, member of "Solidarnost" (Solidarity) movement Ilya Yashin, and eco-activist Yevgeniya Chirikova. The show was cancelled after one episode. The second episode would have included an interview with anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny. MTV Russia representatives said the show was cancelled because of the lack of interest in politics among the channel's audience.
As of January 2023, she hosts the television show Dok-Tok with Alexander Gordon.
On 28 December 2008, Sobchak was on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to New York City when she and other passengers determined that the pilot was drunk prior to take-off. Sobchak phoned Aeroflot who replaced the flight deck crew.
In 2009, Russia's Tatler magazine included her in a list of most desirable single women in the country. The list was based on women's fortune and celebrity status. She is known across Russia as a socialite, TV host and presenter. Sobchak was Russia's No.1 "it girl", an analogue to Paris Hilton.
On 12 June, "Everyone is Free!" declared itself with a street action dedicated to improving the square around the monument to Sergei Yesenin on Tverskoy Boulevard. Participants in the movement collected garbage, painted benches and playgrounds on the boulevard, and Sobchak herself, in the presence of journalists and onlookers, wiped off a yellow bikini with a red heart drawn by an unknown vandal from the crotch of the Yesenin monument. According to local residents, on the morning of that day, there was no paint on the monument, and it appeared only before the event. The action ended with a small concert and fashion show on a stage near the monument. In early July, a "club day" was held at the movement's headquarters. Sobchak made policy statements and issued club cards to the most active participants, providing free access to nightclubs, discounts, and other privileges. During the meeting, Sobchak presented a presentation on the goals and moral guidelines of the movement, in which two slides were occupied by the declared sponsors: Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Russian Standard Bank, the Renaissance Capital investment bank, Lukoil, MegaFon, the Bilingua cafe-club, and other companies. "Club day" ended with a debate between writers Oksana Robski and Sergey Minaev.
At first, the movement was the cause of gossip in the political environment: experts and young politicians tried to understand Sobchak's motivations. Political scientist and contemporary art collector Marat Gelman suggested that Sobchak could have set her sights on a political career in United Russia and was gathering her supporters ahead of the 2007 Russian legislative election. The head of Yabloko Youth, Ilya Yashin, doubted Sobchak's independence and shared with journalists his opinion that "Everyone is Free!" could have been created to criticize the opposition with the approval of the Presidential Administration. The leader of the pro-Kremlin Nashi movement, Vasily Yakemenko, doubted the Kremlin's involvement in the creation of the "Everyone is Free!" movement: in his opinion, Sobchak could both be useful to the Presidential Administration and discredit the Russian authorities. Subsequently, the movement ceased any activity, and journalists mentioned Sobchak as the head of "Everyone is Free!" only once - in the context of discussing the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg of the fourth convocation, which it considered fictitious, and the construction of the Okhta Center skyscraper for Gazprom on the right bank of the Neva opposite the Smolny Cathedral.
Sobchak declared her candidacy in the Russian presidential election 2018 on 18 October 2017. Prior to the announcement of her intention to enter the Presidential race in 2018, Sobchak discussed her intention personally with Putin. She said: "With Vladimir Vladimirovich, my family has been associated with a great deal... so I felt it right to say that I made such a decision". Putin, she said, told her that "every person has the right to make their own decisions and must be responsible for them". Sobchak met with Putin before announcing her participation in the elections 18 October, Sergey Smirnov, Vedomosti
Sobchak was the Civic Initiative's candidate for the 2018 Russian presidential election.
Some skeptics accused Sobchak of being a spoiler to undermine Alexei Navalny; every recent election for the presidency has featured a prominent liberal candidate handpicked by the Kremlin. Other skeptics suspect Sobchak's candidacy is mostly about building her brand. Sobchak did not believe she could win against Putin in 2018, but has stated she's in it for the long haul: "Of course I want to be president, I want to win, but I also want to be sincere. In a system created by Putin, it is only possible for Putin to win. I am realistic about who will become the president."
On 15 March 2018, Sobchak and Dmitry Gudkov announced the creation of a new party, called the Party of Changes on the basis of the party Civic Initiative. The aim was of party was to "return our freedom and your freedom". Sobchak won 1.68% of the vote in the 2018 presidential election.
After the parliament elections held on 4 December 2011, which are known for the large number of alleged fraud reports, Sobchak joined the protest rallies held in Russia as a response to the alleged electoral frauds. She also took part in the campaign against Putin's re-election, working as an observer during the presidential elections held on 4 March 2012. She was one of the Russian protest participants targeted by the Investigative Committee of Russia on 12 June 2012, when her apartment in Moscow was entered and searched.
In her interview with Julia Volkova in 2021, Sobchak voiced her support for LGBT rights in Russia, stating that she disagrees with the country's controversial "gay propaganda law".Archived at Ghostarchive and the
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Wayback Machine: On 24 February 2022, Sobchak voiced opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, writing that "We the Russians will be dealing with the consequences of today for many more years".
In 2015, Sobchak said that if there was ever the possibility of political persecution against her, she had thought about emigration or getting an passport, but would prefer the United States where she could find a Russian-speaking community:
In April 2022, she received Israeli citizenship.
On 15 July 2023, TASS said that seven people were arrested in connection with a plot to kill Sobchak and Margarita Simonyan, the chief editor of RT.
|
|
