Ksenia Sobchak Flees Russia as Police Raid Her Home - The Moscow Times

Russian media fig Ksenia Sobchak has fled Russia aft authorities raided her villa extracurricular Moscow successful transportation with an extortion lawsuit which she dismissed arsenic authorities unit connected her media group, AFP and state-run media reported Wednesday.

Agents searched Sobchak’s spot successful the Moscow portion colony of Gorki-8, according to the 112 Telegram channel, which is said to person links with Russia’s information services. 

TASS reported aboriginal Wednesday, citing instrumentality enforcement agencies, that Sobchak is simply a fishy successful a transgression lawsuit of extortion from authorities conglomerate Rostec.

If charged with the crime, she would look up to 15 years successful prison.

An authoritative astatine Lithuania's authorities borderline work speaking connected information of anonymity told AFP that Sobchak had arrived connected an Israeli passport.

In September, Lithuania barred introduction to Russians traveling with tourer visas implicit the Kremlin's penetration of Ukraine.

Citing unnamed instrumentality enforcement sources, TASS besides reported that though the authorities planned to detain Sobchak astatine Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, she evaded detention by crossing into Lithuania via Belarus. 

Sobchak called the extortion lawsuit the latest illustration of Russia's wider crackdown connected autarkic media since the warfare successful Ukraine began.

"It is wide that it's an onslaught connected my editorial team, the past remaining escaped editorial squad successful Russia which had to beryllium pressured," the one-time world tv prima and erstwhile statesmanlike campaigner said connected Telegram.

Sobchak's departure came a time aft authorities arrested Kirill Sukhanov, a concern manager astatine Sobchak’s media holding, “Ostorozhno, Media” (Beware, Media), astatine a Moscow restaurant.

Sukhanov was detained for allegedly extorting authorities officials via Telegram channels, according to RIA Novosti.

Arian Romanovsky, a erstwhile exertion of Russian manner mag Tatler, was detained alongside Sukhanov arsenic portion of the extortion case, reported the Baza Telegram channel, which is besides linked to Russian information services. 

The lawsuit relates to payments the brace are alleged to person demanded successful instrumentality for guarantees that authorities officials would not person captious sum connected Sobchak-run Telegram quality channels, according to RBC.

Last month, state-run media reported that Sobchak was astatine hazard of transgression proceedings nether Russia’s wartime laws against spreading “fake news” astir the authorities. 

The girl of Anatoly Sobchak, St. Petersburg's archetypal democratically elected politician who was credited with giving President Vladimir Putin his commencement successful politics, Ksenia Sobchak is reported to beryllium the Russian president's goddaughter.

AFP contributed reporting.