CEASEFIRE

Putin’s ‘Goddaughter’ Defies Leader With Passionate War Plea

Putin was mentored by Ksenia Sobchak’s father.

Vladimir Putin’s “goddaughter” is publicly calling for an end to the war in Ukraine. Russian media personality Ksenia Sobchak, 44, took to social media to mark the fourth anniversary of the conflict with a rebuke of the Kremlin’s war effort, declaring that the violence “must end,” according to Metro. Sobchak, the daughter of late St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak—Putin’s longtime mentor—was baptized with Putin in attendance. While she is commonly referred to as his goddaughter, she has disputed that claim. In her post, Sobchak described the war’s devastating human toll, warning that its impact stretches far beyond what is visible in major cities, writing that the violence has already taken “thousands of human destinies.” She emphasized that both Ukrainians and Russians are suffering immense losses, with lives cut short “sometimes quickly, sometimes in pain and agonizingly slowly,” adding that “both countries will be dealing with the consequences for a very long time.” Sobchak concluded with a plea for peace, expressing hope that the war’s end will come soon. Her comments come as independent Russian media outlets have identified more than 200,000 confirmed Russian deaths in the conflict.