Vladimir Putin will brand his own ‘goddaughter’ a ‘foreign agent’ in response to her views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ksenia Sobchak, 40, stood against the Kremlin leader in the 2018 presidential election.
The pair are tied through her father, Anatoly Sobchak, who gave Putin his first foothold in politics.
Putin attended Ms Sobchack’s baptism and has known her since she was a child.
But he is now poised to brand her a ‘foreign agent’ for ‘working with his enemies’ throughout the conflict.
An investigation by Russia’s Public Committee for the Detection of Foreign Intervention is underway, to explore whether Ms Sobchak was ‘funded from abroad.’
Her online media outlet, Ostorozhno Novosti, is also under investigation.
If foreign funding is found, ‘Sobchak will become a foreign agent’, the Kremlin warned.
She posted on her Instagram account – which is blocked due to its alleged ‘extremist’ nature in Russia – ‘What can I say? Feeling proud.
‘To have your own opinion means absolute freedom.’
The Russian government has increasingly used the term ‘foreign agent’ to circle in on Putin’s critics.
They’ve claimed that a number of political and media groups have colluded with Russian ‘enemies’.
Ms Sobchak has likened the situation to Soviet-era crackdowns on dissent, accusing Putin’s henchmen of using ‘any laws’ to block her.
Read Also: Finland Fully Prepared And Ready For Any Kind Of Attack By Russia – Ambassador
Earlier this year, pro-Kremlin media claimed she had adopted Israel citizenship and fled abroad.
But she responded: ‘I am Russian, I am a citizen of Russia. I do not emigrate anywhere, I have no other citizenships.’
Previously, Ms Sobchak hosted a popular Russian reality show called ‘Dom 2’.
She later moved into politics and joined forces with well-known Putin critics such as Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny.
Read Also: ‘Putin Chose This War, And Now He And His Country Will Bear The Consequences’ – Biden Announces New Sanctions On Russia For Invading Ukraine
Her father was one of the most prominent politicians of his era, as well as the first democratically elected mayor of St Petersburg.
Putin was later pictured at Mr Sobchak’s funeral in 2000, alongside the former mayor’s family.
Ms Sobchak’s mother, politician Lyudmila Narusova, has also been outspoken against Putin’s regime and ‘shameless lies.’
She previously claimed conscripts were being ordered to sign up as contract soldiers.
On the rising number of Russian deaths, she said: ‘They lie there, with stray dogs gnawing at their faces.
‘Some cannot be identified because the bodies are so charred.’
Photo Credit: Getty
