Putin's Goddaughter Breaks Ranks, Calls for War's End
In a bold and unprecedented move, Ksenia Sobchak, widely regarded as Vladimir Putin's goddaughter, has issued a public plea for an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The 44-year-old TV presenter, media owner, and socialite made the demand in a social media post marking the fourth anniversary of the conflict, directly challenging the Kremlin's narrative and risking severe political repercussions.
A Personal and Political Rebellion
Sobchak's late father, Anatoly Sobchak, was the former mayor of St. Petersburg and served as Putin's political mentor. The Russian dictator even attended her Orthodox Church baptism, cementing their close familial and political ties. Despite this background, Sobchak has emerged as a vocal critic, using her platform to lambast the war she says has devastated both nations.
'For four years, my country has been living in war,' Sobchak declared in her post. She emphasized that the true scale of the horror is often hidden from wealthier residents in major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. 'This is not visible in the capitals. It is not visible in the cities. But it’s already woven into countless thousands, and thousands, and thousands of human destinies,' she wrote, painting a grim picture of widespread grief.
Hidden Casualties and Human Cost
Sobchak warned that the war's toll is staggering, with Russians and Ukrainians dying daily under brutal conditions. 'Cities on both sides are freezing without heat and light. All of this must end,' she insisted, adding that both countries will grapple with the consequences for many years to come. Her comments come as Russian media confirmed 200,000 Russian deaths, though other sources estimate the total casualty figure to be around 320,000, underscoring the conflict's devastating human cost.
A History of Defiance and Escape
This is not Sobchak's first act of defiance. She previously stood as a liberal rival to Putin in the 2018 presidential election, though she has typically remained loyal to her godfather. However, her stance shifted dramatically after the war began in 2022. Fearing persecution, she used her Israeli passport to flee from Belarus to Lithuania when Moscow state investigators probed whether she had claimed the invasion was 'funded from abroad.'
Many analysts speculate that Putin may have allowed her escape to avoid detaining his so-called goddaughter, unlike his treatment of other political opponents. Once dubbed the 'Paris Hilton of Moscow,' Sobchak has evolved from a socialite into a pointed critic of the Kremlin, highlighting the growing dissent within Russia's elite circles.
Her plea for peace resonates as a rare public condemnation from within Putin's inner circle, signaling potential fractures in the regime's unified front. Sobchak concluded her message with a hopeful note: 'Today, I wish us all that this day will come sooner,' referring to an end to the bloodshed that has defined the region for years.
