Ksenia Sobchak is a
TV star and It girl
turned politician. She may
not have won Russia’s
recent election, but
whispers say Vladimir
Putin has her earmarked
as his successor. Anna
Nemtsova reportsO
n a cold March night
in Paris last year, the
fashion elite were out
in force and ready to
celebrate. At the sexy
cabaret-themed soi-
ree for supermodel Natalia Vodianova’s
birthday, Anna Wintour chatted to
photographers Mario Testino and Pat-
rick Demarchelier. Sienna Miller posed
with Vodianova. The wives of Russian
oligarchs gossiped on red velvet ban-
quettes, while Diane von Furstenberg
happily snapped pictures of the crowd.
Amid it all, sipping champagne and
smiling broadly, was a glamorous
blonde woman clad in slinky red. In a
room full of A-listers, she was far from
the most famous. And while few people
outside of Russia might have been able
to put a name to her face that night, it’s
possible she is set to become one of the
most powerful people on the planet.
As if one ex-reality TV star running
a global superpower isn’t enough, the
former Playboy bunny seems the girlWORLD REPORT