Ksenia Sobchak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ksenia Sobchak
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Sobchak in 2018
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Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak
5 November 1981 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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Ksenia Anatolyevna Sobchak (born November 5, 1981) is a Russian journalist, TV host, actress, and public figure. She also holds Israeli citizenship.
Her father was Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of Saint Petersburg. He was also a mentor to Vladimir Putin. Her mother is Lyudmila Narusova, a Russian senator.
Sobchak first became widely known as the host of the reality TV show Dom-2. She later worked as a journalist for the independent TV channel TV Rain. As of early 2023, she co-hosted the show Dok-Tok.
In 2018, Sobchak ran for president of Russia as a candidate for the Civic Initiative party.
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Early Life and Schooling
Ksenia Sobchak was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Her father, Anatoly Sobchak, was the city's mayor, and her mother, Lyudmila Narusova, is a politician. Sobchak has said that her family has some Jewish heritage.
As a child, she studied ballet at the school connected to the famous Mariinsky Theatre. She also took art classes at the Hermitage Museum.
In 1998, she began studying at Saint Petersburg State University in the Department of International Relations. In 2001, she moved to Moscow to continue her studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Career in Entertainment
Television Host
Sobchak became a celebrity in 2004 as the host of the popular reality show Dom-2. She hosted the show for eight years, leaving in 2012 to focus more on her political activities.
Between 2008 and 2010, she hosted several other shows, including Who does NOT want to be a millionaire?, Last Hero-6, and the Muz-TV Awards.
In 2010, she began hosting a program called Freedom of Thought on a state-run TV channel. However, she left the show because she felt it was not covering important topics.
Starting in 2011, she hosted Sobchak Live on the independent channel TV Rain. She also hosted Top Model po-russki, a Russian version of the famous modeling show.
In 2012, MTV Russia launched a talk show with Sobchak called GosDep (State Department). It was meant to discuss important social and political issues. The first episode featured interviews with opposition leaders. The show was canceled after just one episode.
Movies and Music
Sobchak has acted in several comedy films, including Hitler Goes Kaput!, Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon, and The Best Movie. She also appeared in the movie Thieves and ....
In 2007, she recorded a song and music video called 'Dance with me' with Russian rapper Timati.
Political Life
Family's Political Connections
Ksenia's father, Anatoly Sobchak, was a law professor for both Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev at university. He became a close friend of Putin and helped him start his political career in the 1990s.
Later, Putin helped Anatoly Sobchak leave Russia when he was facing charges of corruption. Many people believe this close family connection has given Ksenia a special, protected status in Russia.
2018 Presidential Campaign
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In October 2017, Sobchak announced she would run for president of Russia in the 2018 Russian presidential election. Before her announcement, she spoke with Vladimir Putin about her decision. She said Putin told her that "every person has the right to make their own decisions and must be responsible for them."
Some people were skeptical of her campaign. They thought she might be a "spoiler" candidate, meaning her goal was to split the votes of people who opposed Putin, making it easier for him to win. Sobchak said she knew she probably couldn't win but wanted to be part of the political conversation. She said, "I am realistic about who will become the president."
Sobchak ran as the candidate for the Civic Initiative party. She received 1.68% of the vote. After the election, she and another politician, Dmitry Gudkov, announced they were creating a new party called the Party of Changes.
Leaving and Returning to Russia
In October 2022, Sobchak left Russia and traveled to Lithuania. Her departure happened after one of the directors at her media company was arrested. Authorities said Sobchak was a person of interest in the case.
Lithuanian officials confirmed she entered the country using her Israeli passport. A few days later, Russian state media reported that she had returned to Russia.
Political Views
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Over time, Sobchak became a critic of Vladimir Putin's government. After the 2011 elections, she joined protests against what many believed was election fraud. She also worked as an election observer during the 2012 presidential election to help ensure it was fair.
On the Economy
Sobchak believes in a free economy where private businesses can grow. She thinks large state-owned companies should be privatized, meaning sold to private owners. She says the government's role should be to prevent monopolies (when one company controls an entire industry) and protect private property.
On Women's Rights
In her 2017 campaign, Sobchak pointed out that women are underrepresented in business and politics in Russia. She said that hundreds of jobs are officially closed to women and that women earn nearly 30% less than men for the same work. She argued that "half the country's population deserves a female voice."
On the Status of Crimea
Sobchak has stated that Russia broke an international agreement, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, when it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. She believes the issue is not settled and needs more discussion to find a solution. She has said that the most important goal for Russia and Ukraine is to "restore our friendship at any cost."
Other Beliefs
Sobchak has said that if she were president, she would have Vladimir Lenin's body removed from its tomb in Red Square. She believes it is a symbol of a "medieval way of life."
She supports LGBT rights in Russia and disagrees with the country's "gay propaganda law." On February 24, 2022, she spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Personal Life
On February 1, 2013, Sobchak married actor Maksim Vitorgan. They have a son named Platon, who was born on November 18, 2016. The couple divorced in 2018.
On September 13, 2019, Sobchak married theatre director Konstantin Bogomolov. Their wedding was unusual, as they arrived at the ceremony in a hearse.
In April 2022, it was reported that Sobchak had received Israeli citizenship.
In July 2023, Russian authorities announced that they had stopped a plot to harm Sobchak and another journalist, Margarita Simonyan.
See also
In Spanish: Ksenia Sobchak para niños
