麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Investigators raid home of Russian celeb Ksenia Sobchak

Former presidential candidate and TV star Ksenia Sobchak attends a news conference in Moscow, on Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File) Former presidential candidate and TV star Ksenia Sobchak attends a news conference in Moscow, on Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
Share
MOSCOW -

Russian investigators on Wednesday raided the home of Ksenia Sobchak, the glamourous daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin's one-time boss, in a move that has sent shockwaves through the country's political scene.

Sobchak, a 40-year-old TV star, has often been critical of Putin, but many Russian opposition figures have accused her of serving the Kremlin's agenda. In 2018, she became a liberal challenger in Russia's presidential election, finishing a distant fourth with about 1.7% of the vote in what her critics described as a Kremlin effort to add a democratic veneer to Putin's sweeping re-election.

Investigators said that the search at Sobchak's luxury home in a prestigious Moscow suburb was part of a probe into alleged wrongdoing by her media director, Kirill Sukhanov, who was arrested on charges of extortion.

Sobchak on Tuesday rejected the accusations against Sukhanov as 鈥渞avings and nonsense鈥 and described his arrest as part of the authorities' efforts to stifle independent media.

The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said that Sobchak had fled Russia. Tass claimed she had bought tickets to Dubai and Turkey to mislead the authorities but eventually left for Belarus, from where she moved to Lithuania. The reports claimed that investigators suspected Sobchak of being involved in the extortion scheme along with her media director and alleged that a warrant was issued for her arrest.

The claims couldn't be independently confirmed. Sobchak hasn't commented on the allegations and her whereabouts were unknown.

Sobchak has extensive contacts among Russia's rich and powerful, and the search of her home topped domestic news.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, argued that the raid has sent a signal to members of the Russian elite that all bets are off.

鈥淚f they can arrest the daughter of Putin's patron ... it means there are no untouchables,鈥 Markov wrote in a commentary. 鈥淔or some members of the elites, an arrest warrant for Sobchak is a blazing sign in the skies.鈥

Sobchak is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, a liberal mayor of St. Petersburg for whom Putin served as a deputy in the 1990s.

Sobchak has 9.4 million followers on Instagram, and her glamour, sharp wit and defiant ways have made her both loved and loathed.

She first gained fame as a fashionable socialite and reality TV star and was once dubbed the 鈥淩ussian Paris Hilton,鈥 but later sought to shed her spoiled and arrogant image.

Sobchak got involved in politics when she joined the massive protests in Moscow against Putin in 2011-12, and later reinvented herself as a serious TV journalist and opposition activist.

Sobchak has denied serving the Kremlin's agenda by running as a challenger to Putin in 2018. But opposition leader Alexei Navalny denounced her for discrediting the opposition by joining the race, saying that she was a 鈥減arody of a liberal candidate鈥 and her involvement in the campaign helped the Kremlin cast the opposition in a negative light.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Two nephews of the beloved Harry R. Hamilton share stories about his life and legacy.

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.