Ksenia Sobchak fills out the cast of Russia’s electoral circus
Many suspect a plot to distract attention for Vladimir Putin’s benefit
KSENIA SOBCHAK first gained fame in Russia as the host of Dom-2, a raunchy reality-television show where contestants compete for love while building a house. Since then, Ms Sobchak, whose father was Vladimir Putin’s political mentor, has cycled through a variety of roles, including talk-show host, opposition leader, journalist, restaurateur, model and actress. Her latest part may be her biggest yet: candidate for president of Russia.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Centre ring”
Europe
October 28th 2017- Spain prepares to intervene in Catalonia
- Ksenia Sobchak fills out the cast of Russia’s electoral circus
- In the Czech Republic, almost everyone ran against the system
- Northern Italy votes for more autonomy
- The fall of a wacky mayor shows Turkey’s president is worried
- Switzerland is seeing more cases of malaria
- The new Czech leader is not leading an anti-Europe uprising
From the October 28th 2017 edition
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Banning a pro-Russian candidate would anger America’s MAGA crowd
Europe sounds increasingly French
The continent confronts a future without Trump’s America