Russian authorities performed a search at the home of Russian TV host, blogger and former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak. She, however, has fled to Lithuania through Belarus.
According to AlJazeera, Russian investigators have performed a search at the home of the 40-year-old TV star. Sobchak has often criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, however, many Russian opposition representative accuse her of serving the Kremlin.
Russian investigators report that the search in Sobchak’s wealthy home in Moscow suburbs is part of the investigation of possible fraud committed by her media director Kiril Sukhanov, who is currently under arrest under suspicion of extortion. Sobchak denies accusations against Sukhanov, adding that «it is nonsense». She described the arrest as attempts by the Russian regime to suppress independent mass media.
Lithuanian public media LRT, referencing Russian TASS, reports that Sobchak has fled to Lithuania through Belarus.
«She bought air tickets via the Internet to Dubai yesterday [on Tuesday], and today [on Wednesday] to Turkey. She did this to confuse the operatives. As a result, she entered Lithuania through Belarus,» LRT reports, referencing sources.
LRT also reports that, according to Lithuanian State Security Service, Sobchak entered the country with an Israeli passport.
In an interview to radio station Žinių Radijas, the head of the security office Darius Jauniškis said she is in Lithuania now, and that as a citizen of Israel she does not require a visa, adding that she may remain in the country for 90 days.
A video posted on social media shows allegedly Ksenia Sobchak crossing the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
на этом видео Ксения Собчак, предположительно, переходит белорусско-литовскую границу pic.twitter.com/wY9O9WmecU
— VadimKazac (@vadimkazac) October 26, 2022
Ksenia Sobchak is the daughter of former mayor of St. Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. When he was the city’s mayor, Vladimir Putin worked in the city’s administration.