Russian TV star and liberal journalist Ksenia Sobchak has announced her plans to participate in the 2018 presidential election where she is likely to challenge Russia’s long-standing leader Vladimir Putin.
“Over the past 17 years a whole new generation has grown up that wants to see a different Russia that is civilized and European,” Ms. Sobchak said in an interview with TV Rain on Wednesday, commenting on her decision.
Ms. Sobchak, who positions herself as an “against all” protest candidate, is the daughter of President Putin’s political mentor, Anatoly Sobchak. He was the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, Mr. Putin’s hometown, and co-authored the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
Russian authorities barred the main Russian liberal opposition candidate, Aleksei Navalny, from participating in the March election citing his five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement.
