Copyright dailymail
Vladimir Putin's 'goddaughter' is reportedly eyeing a move to Spain to get away from repressive Russia. Ksenia Sobchak, who is a TV presenter, politician and influencer, is said to have applied for residency in Spain. It is believed she is seeking digital nomad status, which means she must live in Spain for more than half of every year and pay taxes in the country. Sobchak, 43, who once stood against Putin for the Russian presidency and runs her own media outlet, has not commented. Reports in Spain say the socialite has applied for a residence permit for herself and her son Platon, eight, amid speculation that she has already bought a luxury home in the country. This comes amid looming economic chaos in Russia, caused by Putin's war and Western sanctions, but also as repression against criticisms of the dictator is tightened. Sobchak is said to already have a five-year EU Schengen visa from France. She also has an Israeli as well as a Russian passport, which enables her to travel freely in Europe for a maximum of 90 days every six months. Putin attended her childhood Orthodox christening before he became Russia's president - leading to reports that he was her godfather. He was close to her late father, Anatoly, who acted as mentor to the former KGB spy, giving him his first job in politics, where he was mayor of St Petersburg. While Sobchak is seen as pro-opposition, many Putin foes are suspicious of her stance, believing she has remained personally close to the dictator. In 2018, when she stood for the presidency, she was criticised as doing so to give Putin a fig leaf that there was a pro-liberal candidate in a rigged election. Her participation was called a 'farce'. In 2023, she attended a 'naked party' with other celebrities, which outraged Putin and was forced to issue an abject apology. But unlike other participants, Sobchak, who has posed for Playboy, was not punished. The party was allegedly attended by wealthy people in showbiz and was likened to Sodom and Gomorrah by critics. Two years ago, she questioned Putin's sanity over the war and warned he would not hand over power. 'I'm the only one who votes [against him],' she told Novaya Gazeta Europe independent newspaper. But there are enough people who think the same as me. 'It's just that they are afraid to speak it out loud.' In 2022, it was reported that she was forced to flee Russia hours after her mansion was raided by police. At the time, it was reported that she had criticised Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It was also reported then that there was a criminal investigation against her for allegedly 'spreading falsehoods about government agencies'. Her media company, Ostorozhno, was also said to be at the centre of a probe by officials. Sobchak's mother, Lyudmila Narusova, 74, is a Russian senator representing Tuva, who often votes alone against Putin's repressive measures. One comment said over her Spanish application: 'The rats are fleeing. 'And the common people will continue to be fed lies about Western sanctions benefiting us and all the goals of the special military operation will be achieved.
