The mission is to demonstrate that Russia is not Putin, that we're ready for cooperation, and that there are a lot of people in Russia who want the U.S.-Russia relations to be improved and that we don't view the United States as our enemy.
— Ksenia Sobchak
The only thing which is important to do is to tell about the values I share. It's to say how important liberalization of Russia is.
I have no political weight, and I haven't earned the right to launch some kind of political programme or stand as a candidate.
Well, like in Orwell books, whom I cherish very much as an author, in classical totalitarian regimes, you always have to make people hate someone. And this hatred is all around the Russian politics.
I think I can really make people go and vote against the system - voting for Ksenia Sobchak.
In the end, believe me, there will be no friendship between Trump and Putin.
I don't want revolution in my country. The only way to change Russia without blood is evolution.
I mean, I'm a political figure in Russia for more than 10 years... This is how people in Russia know me.
I'm a journalist and, before, a next TV star.
My voters, my core audience, are young people in Russia, so I actually do what I need to have their support.
Russian people are not stupid. They know that the system we are living in is undemocratic.
I am who I am. Why should I hide because someone might say, 'How can she really care when she wears Chanel?' Actually, yes, I can care about justice even in Chanel heels.
I am one of the most famous people in Russia, which is maybe not modest, but it's true.
Russia is the biggest European nation. We are Europeans, we are not Asians.
It's Russia. It's a patriarchal society. That's a fact you have to get used to. We have sexism. And it's widespread.
Well, Trump is certainly not my hero. I'm sorry to say that, but that's true.
I want to show a new vector of policy that will be there when I will become a president. And my vector is friendship with America and friendship with European Union.
Well, first of all, I think that Russia has to have free democratic elections, that means everyone who wants to take part in it should be admitted.
My participation in the presidential elections can truly be a step on the path towards the transformation that our country needs so much.
Because I really believe that Russia needs a fresh face, a new generation, to be seen on the political stage.
I'm a politician who's against corruption that Putin has done in our country.
I'm the kind of person whom you like or hate, you never stay neutral.
I've been famous for years through my entertainment programs, through my show business activities and my business.
All Russian people know who I am. So I use this to the good because, you know, it's really hard to shut my mouth off because... I'm too bright, and I'm too many years visible to everyone.
Even if we imagine I'm a Kremlin project, then I'm a good Kremlin project because I'm saying out things that have not been said before.
I want my government to be transparent.
My dream was to do political journalism.
Putin has all the power under his control, all the security forces, all the billions of dollars he needs. It's mad to pretend otherwise.
That's the tragedy of our country. Everyone is an inexperienced politician.
I didn't go into politics because I'm a woman. I have done this because I have been interested in politics my whole life.
My goal is to bring the issues that were never brought up on federal TV, such as LGBT rights, which are a shock for many people because they really think that those people should go to prison, they shouldn't have any rights. And moreover, there is lots of people who share the idea that they should be punished for being LGBT, just for the fact.
Any window of opportunity is important. If your hands are tied, you should swim with your legs. If your legs are tied, you should try to hold on to the edge of the boat with your teeth. We have to use every option.
My burden is my past as a TV star. But, you know, pasts cannot be a life sentence.
Ksenia Sobchak as president is like Sergei Shnurov as an artist. It's satire. It's a very high-level art project.
I don't need anyone's approval for going to elections.
What I do is good for Russian opposition. What I do is I speak freely on the things and items that were never discussed loudly with Russian public for years.
I feel like I'm in a horror film. Everywhere I turn, there's a journalist.
Many people voted for Trump just to say, you know, their 'no' to the system.
With men it's always like this in Russia - they always want to be the head of everything.
Any president we choose becomes a czar in Russia. I don't want czars anymore. I don't want to be a czar myself. I want to be a democratic leader.
I think it is my big advantage that I know Putin personally... that he can trust me, that he can see in me a new generation. I want to be a person who really makes him see how many people are against the system.
I'm like the Russian Tyra Banks.
Work hard and go your own path. You'll make enemies, lose friends, but you'll make even better ones on the way.
There's a view in Russian society that there are 'male professions' and 'female professions.' The women should be looking after the home and children. It makes me sad. But the only thing you can do is fight it.
You know, in Russia we say there are three things you can't choose: your parents, your gender and your president.
