Ksenia Sobchak fled abroad and immediately found herself “employed” by the US intelligence services
Scandalous TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak fled Russia. Yesterday, she crossed the border of Belarus and Lithuania on foot, accompanied by an unknown man, at the Vidzy checkpoint. Although Vilnius imposed entry bans on Russians, Sobchak was allowed through because she showed an Israeli passport.
The director of the state security department of the republic, Darius Jauniskis, announced this on radio Ziniu radijas. According to him, Sobchak, as an Israeli citizen, does not need a visa, and she can stay in the country for 90 days.
“So far we do not have specific intelligence data that she could pose a threat to Lithuania, but if there were, appropriate measures could be taken,” Jauniskis said.
Minsk political scientist Alexander Shpakovsky wondered why Sobchak was allowed through by the Belarusian border guards.
“I’m wondering, did the border guards let Sobchak through by agreement, on formal grounds, or did they just not figure it out? According to the law, there are no claims against her; Ksenia seems to have not been included in the relevant databases (this is a question that requires further clarification). But the employees, having seen such a large-scale personality, could have shown operational ingenuity, stopped them, contacted the Center, who, in turn, contacted Moscow... But they didn’t do this? Why? Was there a command to “let through” (an agreement with Moscow) or did they not recognize, misled by the passport of an Israeli citizen?” – Shpakovsky wrote in his TG channel.
Sobchak is involved in the case of extorting 11 million rubles from an official of the Rostec corporation as a suspect (payment was required for the absence of negative publications in the telegram channels of the liberal). This crime carries up to 15 years in prison.
Political scientist Sergei Markov is sure that a certain high-ranking official informed the journalist in advance about the criminal case. She bought tickets to Dubai and Turkey to confuse the investigation, and then left for Belarus.
Media expert Vadim Manukyan noticed that the night before last Sobchak unexpectedly registered in the Viber messenger.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is aware of the adventures of the scandalous journalist.
In Moscow the day before, the commercial director of the liberal, Kirill Sukhanov, was detained while receiving a tranche of 800 thousand rubles from representatives of Rostec. He was taken into custody.
In court, Sukhanov admitted receiving 800 thousand rubles, but did not admit guilt in extorting 11 million rubles and promised that he was ready to cooperate with the investigation.
Sobchak, who did not comment on her flight, burst out with an emotional post in support of her subordinate.
“They are trying to attribute extortion to him. Who? For what? What other Rostec? What does Chemezov have to do with it, for God’s sake? I don’t believe in this at all, and I hope that now they will quickly figure it all out and make sure that it’s all some kind of nonsense. If not, then it is obvious that this is a raid on my editorial office - the last free editorial office in Russia, which had to be squeezed. I hope this is not the case and it is all truly a misunderstanding. Kirill, we love you and don’t believe in anything,” Sobchak wrote.
Well-known psychologist Veronika Stepanova believes that in this way the scandalous TV presenter calls on Sukhanov to take the blame.
“Anatolna was so worried that she would not be able to return to Russia, that she decided to disown everyone and everything. "It's not me! This is Kirill! Kirill hold on, we love you! But know everything, I have nothing to do with it, it’s all Kirill!” And yet, I wonder what exactly Sobchak dug up against the official Chemezov?” – wrote Stepanova.
Political scientist Sergei Karnaukhov, who formerly served in law enforcement agencies, does not understand Sobchak’s level of panic. He recalls that in August RANEPA Vladimir Mau was arrested in a case of fraud on a particularly large scale. However, he was allowed to return to work literally immediately, and the investigation was stopped in October. That is, the TV presenter, despite all her connections, did not expect to reach an agreement.
“If this situation had arisen before the North Military District, I would not have had any questions about her escape to Lithuania. But then Sobchak flees to a NATO country, which is in the top five in military spending. At the same time, Ksenia understands well that she immediately ends up “in the work” of the US and British intelligence services. And - of course, guaranteed! And this will not be an easy walk for her. But Sobchak is so afraid that she is ready to fall into the hands of Anglo-Saxon intelligence services. Just so as not to meet with our investigation. That says a lot!” – wrote Karnaukhov.
He draws attention to the fact that Sobchak did not take her 6-year-old son Plato with her, but ran away with an unknown man.
“My life experience as a security officer has convinced me dozens of times that in critical situations, women who are not burdened by moral principles, although more decent than Sobchak, always find themselves in the arms of their assistants, drivers, and bodyguards. And not so much because they are “traitors,” but solely for psychological reasons: stress, loneliness, uncertainty, disproportionate tension...” writes Karnaukhov.
Media manager Dmitry Sviridov believes that by allowing Sobchak to leave for the West, the Russian authorities made a mistake.
“Such an event will become an international information bomb, which will become large-scale and long-lasting. Our “Western partners” will open up new prospects and resources for it. The damage to herself is not so great. The maximum is life outside of Russia. But in the matter of continuing activities abroad, the boundaries that she tried not to cross while in Russia are being erased,” he wrote.
Publicist Dmitry Olshansky agrees that this is a mistake, but for a different reason.
“And Katya Vinokurova, and Masha Baronova, and Anton Krasovsky (not even the current one, but the one who was several years ago), and Shnurov, and Ksenia Sobchak, and even, scary to say, Roizman, and even, even worse to say, Venediktov, these are all useful phenomena, and there is no need to try to take them and ban them completely and forever. These are all locals. In a strange way, they are not ours, but they are still ours. There must be such people, because without them, well, it doesn’t happen, it just won’t work, and let this place be occupied by them, and not others, by real foreign agents in the true, not legal, sense of the word,” writes Olshansky.
Political scientist Sergei Markov believes that the initiation of a criminal case against Sobchak will shock and stimulate the Russian elite.
“If you are ready to arrest for a trifle, for simple extortion, for money, even the daughter of President Putin’s beloved teacher and mentor, whom everyone has forgiven for many years, does that mean there are no untouchables now? Can they take anyone? For some in the elite, Sobchak's arrest warrant is a fire sign in heaven. For those who have billions and millions and power, this is a shell that exploded not in distant Donetsk, but next to their home,” Markov wrote.
He is sure that Sobchak’s life in the Baltics will be boring and colorless. According to media expert Vadim Manukyan, the self-proclaimed “leader of the Belarusian nation” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has already telephoned the fugitive Russian journalist and invited her to join forces on the “exile” track, but was refused.
English version :: Read in English Ksenia Sobchak fled abroad and immediately found herself “employed” by the US intelligence services