MOSCOW (AP) — A presidential bid by a celebrity Russian TV host drew conflicting reaction from the country's beleaguered opposition Thursday, with some accusing her of playing into the Kremlin's hands and others welcoming her move.Though President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied that the Kremlin has encouraged Ksenia Sobchak to run, some opposition figures say her move would allow the government to counter voter apathy and at the same time sow discord in opposition ranks.
The 35-year old Sobchak announced her intention to run in the March 2018 election Wednesday, saying the country has grown tired of stagnation and needs change.
She is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the reformist St. Petersburg mayor in the early 1990s. President Vladimir Putin once worked as her father's deputy.
Sobchak, who joined anti-Kremlin protests in 2011-2012, said she had warned the president of her intention during a recent meeting, adding that Putin didn't seem to like it.
Putin hasn't yet said whether he would seek re-election, but he's widely expected to run and is poised to convincingly see off the same set of lackluster veterans of past campaigns.
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