|
TV presenter, editor-in-chief of Russian L'Officiel magazine Ksenia Sobchak on the television channel “Rain” on October 18, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. Russian television star and journalist Ksenia Sobchak announced Wednesday she will run for president in the country’s 2018 election – a bid that may spark voter interest but hinder efforts to unseat Vladimir Putin. Known as “the Paris Hilton of Russia”, 35-year-old Sobchak promoted her candidacy in a Russian-language YouTube video. The fashion icon-turned-politician said the country needs change from its current political elite, according to The Associated Press. Some analysts, however, suspect her presidential bid is part of a Krelim-backed plot to divide the opposition to Putin, who is widely expected to seek another term as president. Sobchak maintains she made her decision to run independently and denies being in collusion with Putin or his allies. But Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger and prominent Putin foe, expressed skepticism about Sobchak’s motives, according to the AP. (Photo by Gennadiy Gulyaev/Kommersant via Getty Images)
|
